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Despite concerted efforts at agricultural development over many years, millions of people in developing countries still suffer from poverty and under-nutrition. New crop varieties, such as those released during the green revolution in Asia, increased farmers' income and reduced the level of under-nutrition. In recent years, while the speed of the development of conventional breeding technology has slowed, biotechnology has developed rapidly. In 2005, about 8.5 million farmers in 21 countries grew transgenic crops. Transgenic rice has not been commercially released on a large scale, but progress has been made in developing varieties with potential to increase yield and reduce input costs. In this context, this research aims to provide empirical evidence on the potential effects of introducing transgenic rice on farm households' income and nutritional well-being in Bangladesh, including the impacts on their current nutritional status and nutritional vulnerability over time. To this end, two econometric models are constructed and estimated. A farm household model is employed to project farm households' production and consumption responses to introducing improved rice varieties such as transgenic rice. The model estimates the profit effect of introducing transgenic rice. The influence of the profit effect on farmers' consumption decisions is then considered. Due to the ex ante nature of this research and data limitations, the effects of transgenic rice are assumed to be similar to that of previous high yielding varieties (HYVs), and the impact of transgenic rice on farm household profit is assumed to be similar to the effect of the percentage of rice area in HYVs and the yield effect of transgenic rice is the same as HYVs. On the production side, the supply of three outputs- rice, all other crops and animal products- and demand of labor and fertilizer were estimated. On the consumption side, both poor and non-poor households' demand for rice, wheat/other food, pulse, oil, vegetables/fruits, meat/egg/ milk, fish, and spices were estimated. Based on the parameter estimates, the calorie intake and protein intake elasticities with respect to introducing transgenic rice were computed. The results indicate that the total profit elasticity with respect to the percentage of rice area in HYVs is 0.08. The calorie elasticity with respect to the percentage of rice area in HYVs ranges from 0.062 in non-poor to 0.074 in poor households, and the protein elasticity ranges from 0.075 in non-poor to 0.084 in poor households. The results indicate that transgenic rice is likely to play a positive role in improving farm households' nutritional status in terms of total calorie/protein intake. The magnitude, however, is likely to be moderate, if only the profit effect is considered. A consumption forecasting model is used to examine farmers' nutritional vulnerability a probabilistic concept defined as having a high probability now of suffering a shortfall in the future. It is assumed that when exposed to risk, farmers' consumption decisions have already considered their risk coping strategies. The effect of transgenic rice is reflected by its impact on farm income. Farm households' calorie intake in the future (hunger season) was predicted by a multivariate regression function with the logarithmic daily per resident calorie intake as the dependent variable. The independent variables include variables that represent households' income, flood exposure, assets, and demographic composition. Farm households' nutritional vulnerability profiles, based on the estimation of ex ante mean and variance, indicate that vulnerability exists among surveyed rice farm households. The model also predicts that the income increase induced by introducing transgenic rice will reduce each individual household's probability of suffering a future consumption shortfall and subsequently will reduce its vulnerability. The overall vulnerability profile of farm households improves in Bangladesh. / Ph. D.

In the U.S., states vary in the way they link the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). State practices that have come to be known as "Heat and Eat" (HandE) exploit a SNAP energy expense deduction in order to increase SNAP benefits. Sixteen states have used the practice at some point, with the earliest starting in 1995 and latest in 2013. This study uses variation in the timing of adoption of HandE across states to estimate the HandE's effect on SNAP participation. SNAP-LIHEAP participation links are also examined in relation to alternative state policies that bundle application costs. Using SIPP 2008 Panel data, the study employs a household fixed effects model to examine the impact of LIHEAP participation and the three SNAP-LIHEAP bundling policies on SNAP participation propensities. The results indicate that HandE policies cause a small increase in household SNAP participation, which is likely due to the fact that HandE provides additional benefits for SNAP participants. Categorical eligibility that links applications for both programs also generates higher differential probabilities of being on SNAP. These results are consistent with previous findings in the multiple program participation literature. / Master of Science

This qualitative study sought to examine gay men and lesbians experiences of dividing household labor when going from a cohabitating heterosexual relationship to their first cohabitating same-sex relationship. Criterion sampling and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants across the United Sates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants: two men and four women. The data was analyzed using Moustakas' transcendental phenomenology and codes were organized into themes. The data suggested four categories that described participants experiences of division of household labor when going from a heterosexual relationship to a same-sex relationship: Heterosexual Relationship, Adjustment, Same-Sex Relationship and Benefits and Challenges. Participants described how division of household labor was decided in both relationships, any adjustment regarding division of household labor when going from a heterosexual cohabitating relationship to their first same-sex relationship, how division of household labor was decided in their same-sex relationship, and any benefits and challenges faced from this experience. Overall, participants reported certain expectations regarding who should do the majority of tasks in their heterosexual relationship that were not present in their same-sex relationship. Any adjustment was attributed to getting used to having more help with household tasks in their same-sex relationship. Even though most participants reported no challenges faced from their experience, some participants felt the biggest benefit was having more help with household tasks in their same-sex relationship. Limitations, clinical implications, and future directions for research are discussed. / Master of Science

Thesis advisor: Peter Gottschalk / Thesis advisor: Shannon Seitz / This dissertation contains two essays in labor economics. It provides a descriptive analysis on income volatility and develops a microeconomic model to study how married couples make joint decisions in response to such income volatility. The first essay examines the recent trends in household income volatility in the United States, West Germany and Great Britain, and compares household income volatility with individual income volatility. I estimate a formal error components model using the Cross-national Equivalence File from 1979 to 2004. I find that household income volatility, measured by the transitory variance of household income, accounts for more than half of the total income variance for all three countries. Despite the differences in the total household income variances among the three countries, the permanent variances converges since the late 1990s. The household earnings volatility is always lower than the individual earnings volatility for married couples, which suggests some evidence of intra-household insurance. In the second essay I examine whether married couples make joint labor supply decisions in response to each other's wage shocks. The study of this question aids in understanding the link between the recent rise in earnings volatility and household joint decisions. I develop an intra-household insurance model based on the collective framework, which allows for insurance against both permanent and transitory wage shocks from both partners. Estimation using Survey of Income and Program Participation shows that individuals increase labor supply in response to spouse's adverse wage shocks and such labor supply responses are larger when shocks are permanent than transitory. A household makes less transfer to the individual with more volatile income, which can be considered as a price for insurance.This intra-household insurance reduces earnings volatility by about 1.2% to 7.7%. These results suggest that joint labor supply decisions provide a smoothing effect on shocks to earnings and household income. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Com o aumento no número de pessoas idosas devido ao aumento da expectativa de vida e diminuição das taxas de natalidade, esse trabalho partiu da hipótese de que o idoso, além de apresentar uma forte demanda por cuidados médicos, também têm uma demanda crescente por outros tipos de bens e serviços, como, por exemplo, cosméticos e viagens. Ademais, a importância desse grupo, com sua renda mais estável oriunda dos benefícios da seguridade social e uso de ativos ou bens acumulados, altera de forma significativa a estrutura de consumo da família na qual pertence, criando uma forte relação de interdependência com os filhos e netos. O objetivo principal do presente trabalho foi analisar, através de alguns determinantes sócio-econômicos, o comportamento de consumo das famílias com idosos chefes e famílias que não apresentavam nenhum indivíduo com mais de 60 anos, nas principais áreas metropolitanas brasileiras, Distrito Federal e Goiânia. A base de dados utilizada corresponde a Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 1995/96 do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Inicialmente, na revisão de literatura, foram mencionados os principais aspectos demográficos que estão causando o envelhecimento populacional, assim como a importância do idoso na família e algumas considerações sobre as políticas previdenciárias que melhoram a vida dessas pessoas e de seus dependentes. Através da análise de estatística descritiva dos dados, observou-se que a aposentadoria representa a maior parte dos rendimentos dos idosos. No entanto, também existem parcelas significativas da renda que são provenientes do trabalho na condição de empregado e de conta-própria. Constatou-se que os dispêndios com medicamentos, serviços de saúde, despesas pessoais, roupas, alimentação fora de casa, comunicação e transporte, ocupam parcelas substanciais no consumo individual dos idosos e de suas famílias. Observou-se também que a renda mensal per capita de famílias que possuem idosos chefe é de aproximadamente 200 reais a mais do que de famílias que não possuem idoso. Posteriormente, utilizando o modelo lógite, foi possível mostrar que as variáveis: renda per capita familiar, idade, chefe que trabalha, escolaridade do chefe e localização geográfica da família, explicaram satisfatoriamente a probabilidade de consumir das famílias com idosos e famílias sem idosos, para os seguintes agregados de consumo: produtos farmacêuticos, serviços de assistência à saúde, despesas pessoais, fumo e seus derivados, roupas, viagens, lazer, comunicação e transporte. Entre os resultados mais importantes pode-se constatar que: a medida que os indivíduos envelhecem aumenta a demanda por com cuidados médicos; não existem diferenças significativas de consumo entre os chefes idosos e não-idosos que trabalham; quanto maior a escolaridade dos chefes idosos e não-idosos maior é a probabi lidade de consumo da maioria dos bens e serviços analisados; as famílias idosas e não-idosas residentes na área metropolitana de São Paulo apresentam menor probabilidade de dispender com bens e serviços de saúde e maior probabilidade de dispender com comunicação e transporte, com relação as outras áreas de pesquisa da POF. / As the number of elderly people increase, mainly due to life expectancy increases and birthrate decreases, this study supports the hypothesis that the elderly, besides showing a high demand for medical care, also presents an increasing demand for other types of goods and services, such as, cosmetics and travel. Besides, the importance of this group, with a more stable income deriving from pensions of social security and the use of assets or accumulated goods, alters significantly the family consumption structure to which they belong, generating a strong relation of interdependence with their sons and grandchildren. The main goal of this study was to analyze, through some social-economic determinants, the family consumption behavior of families having elderly as the head of the family and families which showed no individual over 60 years old, in the most important metropolitan Brazilian cities, Federal District and Goiânia. The used database corresponds to the Household Budget Survey 1995/96 from IBGE (The Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute). Initially, in the literature review, it was mentioned the main demographic aspects which are causing the population to age, as well as the importance of the elderly in the family and some considerations about the social security policies which have improved the life conditions of these people and their dependents. Through the analysis of descriptive statistics, it was observed that retirement represents a major part of income for the elderly. However, there are also significant income parts coming from formal jobs and self-employment. It was noticed that the expenses on medicines, health assistance, personal expenses, clothing, eating out, communication and transportation, take up important parts of the consumption of the elderly and their families. It was noticed that monthly income per capita from families whose head is the elderly is approximately R$200,00 more than those which do not have an elderly. Later, using the Logit model, it was possible to show the variables: family per capita income, age, head working out of his house, school background of the head of the family, and geographical location of the family, explained satisfactorily the consumption probability of families having elderly and not having elderly, for the following consumption aggregates: pharmaceutical products, health service assistance, personal expenses, cigarette smoking and its derivatives, clothing, traveling, leisure, communication and transportation. Among the most important results it is possible to conclude that: the demand for medical assistance increases, not having significant differences in consumption between elderly heads of families and non-elderly heads of family which work outside of the house, more years in school increases consumption probability for most of the goods and services analyzed. The elderly families and non-elderly residing in the metropolitan area of São Paulo showed smaller probability of spending on goods and health services, higher probability of spending on communication and transportation, compared to the other areas of study of household budget survey 1995/96.