Currently, the decisions taken by individuals as the act of buying, selling, consuming, saving and debt has been the focus of many scientific lines. From the viewpoint of Behavioral Finance, this study aims to analyze what are the determining factors in the propensity to indebtedness among women in the Mesorregião Centro Ocidental Rio-grandense. For this, a survey was conducted among 2,500 women distributed statistically in 31 municipalities of Mesorregião. Data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed via factor analysis, statistical tests (Anova, Correlation Test) and regression analysis. The results showed seven factors related to the values of money they are: Social Status, Concern, Stability, Pleasure, Power, Budget and Illusion is a factor for materialism and a factor for the debt. The women studied had higher average for the budget factor which indicates a certain empreendedor control of their spending, which agrees with this, it was also found low levels of debt and materialism in women from the middle region studied, however, higher for women living outside Santa Maria. It is emphasized that these low levels of materialism in the area surveyed is strongly linked to aspects of colonization, mainly coming from the Italian culture and the actual level of financial literacy shown by interviews. The ANOVA showed there are differences in the average propensity to factor Indebtedness, when analyzed under the aspects of religion, ancestry, race, debts and other variables. Regression, we obtained a percentage of explanation of the dependent variable (propensity to indebtedness) of 39.1% through the following independent variables: Material Factor, Concern Factor, Factor Budget, Dummy has Debts, Power Factor, Dummy has Liabilities in Delay and Dummy Hourglass. It is noteworthy that the budget factor in the propensity to interfere with Indebtedness negative sign, that is, as this increases the propensity decreases and all other variables have positive sign. Overall, this study showed that on average, women in Mesorregião observed, are little prone to debt and the factors that interfere with this tendency are not only financial and rational, but also psychological and cultural. / Atualmente, as decisões tomadas pelos indivíduos quanto ao ato de comprar, vender, consumir, poupar e se endividar tem sido foco de muitas correntes científicas. Sob a ótica das Finanças Comportamentais, este estudo objetiva analisar quais são os fatores determinantes na propensão ao endividamento nas mulheres da Mesorregião Centro Ocidental Rio-grandense. Para isto, foi realizada uma survey junto a 2.500 mulheres distibuídas estatisticamente nos 31 municípios formadores desta Mesorregião. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário e analisados via análise fatorial, testes estatísticos (Anova, Teste t e Correlação) e análise de regressão. Os resultados apresentam sete fatores ligados aos valores do dinheiro são eles: Status Social, Preocupação, Estabilidade, Prazer, Poder, Orçamento e Ilusão um fator para o materialismo e um fator para o endividamento. As mulheres pesquisadas apresentaram maiores médias para o Fator Orçamento o que indica um certo controle finaceiro de seus gastos, corroborando com este aspecto, constatou-se também níveis baixos de materialismo e endividamento nas mulheres da Mesorregião estudada, entretanto, maiores para as mulheres que residem fora de Santa Maria. Ressalta-se que esses níveis baixos de materialismo na região pesquisada está fortemente ligado aos aspectos de colonização, basicamente vindo da cultura italiana e do próprio nível de instrução financeira demonstrado pelas entrevistas. A Anova demonstrou existirem diferenças nas médias do Fator Propensão ao Endividamento, quando analisado sob os aspectos de religião, ascendência, raça, dívidas e outras variáveis. Na regressão, obteve-se um percentual de explicação da variável dependente (Propensão ao Endividamento) de 39,1%, através das seguintes variáveis independentes: Fator Materialismo, Fator Preocupação, Fator Orçamento, Dummy possui Dívidas, Fator Poder, Dummy possui Dívidas em Atraso e Dummy Ascendência. Destaca-se que o fator Orçamento interfere na Propensão ao Endividamentro com sinal negativo, isto é, a medida que este aumenta, a Propensão diminui e todas as demais variáveis apresentam sinal positivo. De maneira geral, este trabalho mostrou que, em média, as mulheres da Mesorregião observada, estão pouco propensas ao endividamento e que os fatores que interferem nessa propensão não são apenas de ordem financeira e racional, mas também de ordem psicológica e cultural.

O objetivo dessa dissertação é avaliar o impacto de um programa de treinamento voltado para trabalhadores, utilizando o propensity score matching, mas com dois tipos de abordagem, uma não-paramétrica e a outra semi-paramétrica. Para estimação não paramétrica foi utilizado um método proposto por Li, Racine e Wooldridge (2009) e para estimação semi-paramétrica, o modelo utilizado foi o Generalized Additive Model proposto por Hastie e Tibshirani (1990). Os resultados obtidos indicam que os dois métodos utilizados apresentam estimativas tão boas ou melhores do que quando estimadas paramétricamente. / The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the impact of a job training program using propensity score matching methods with two types of approaches: a nonparametric e another semiparametric. For non-parametric estimation was used a method proposed by Li, Racine and Wooldridge (2009) and for the semiparametric model the Generalized Additive Model proposed by Hastie and Tibshirani (1990). The results indicate that both methods provide estimates as good or better than when parametrically estimated.

We use survey findings to analyse the effects of the Austrian income tax reform 2015/2016 on private consumption differentiated by income classes. Using survey data, we also estimate the corresponding average marginal propensities to consume and compare them to applied average marginal propensities to consume in economic models used to analyse the previous two income tax reforms in Austria. The estimated average marginal propensity to consume amounts to approximately 0.46, whereby in tendency increasing from the lowest income class (0.42-0.43) to the highest income class (0.48-0.50). Our estimated average marginal propensity to consume across all income classes basically corresponds to those used in economic models to evaluate the income tax reform 2015/2016. However, our estimated marginal propensities to consume by income classes fundamentally differ from those used in the economic models. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

abstract: Research on the consequences of gang membership is limited mainly to the study of crime and victimization. This gives the narrow impression that the effects of gang membership do not cascade into other life domains. This dissertation conceptualized gang membership as a snare in the life-course that disrupts progression in conventional life domains. National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Cohort of 1997 (NLSY97) data were used to examine the effects of adolescent gang membership on the nature and patterns of educational attainment and employment over a 12-year period in the life-course. Variants of propensity score weighting were used to assess the effects of gang joining on a range of outcomes pertaining to educational attainment and employment. The key findings in this dissertation include: (1) selection adjustments partially or fully confounded the effects of gang joining; despite this (2) gang joiners had 70 percent the odds of earning a high school diploma and 42 percent the odds of earning a 4-year college degree than matched individuals who avoided gangs; (3) at the 11-year mark, the effect of gang joining on educational attainment exceeded one-half year; (4) gang joiners made up for proximate deficits in high school graduation and college matriculation, but gaps in 4-year college degree and overall educational attainment gained throughout the study; (5) gang joiners were less likely to be employed and more likely to not participate in the labor force, and these differences accelerated toward the end of the study; (6) gang joiners spent an additional one-third of a year jobless relative to their matched counterparts; and (7) the cumulative effect of gang joining on annual income exceeded $14,000, which was explained by the patterning of joblessness rather than the quality of jobs. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings, as well as directions for future research, are addressed in the concluding chapter of this dissertation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Criminology and Criminal Justice 2012

The debate around the issue of homosexuals in Isl m has recently gained momentum globally. New arguments surfaced which were not discussed previously by the jurists. Some have argued that homosexuality is genetic and others believe it is caused by a hormonal imbalance. Isl m has given Muslims a comprehensive social system in which to operate. It has reserved explicit judgment on many pertinent issues and allowed research to address contemporary challenges by means of Ijtih d (personal reasoning). The Islamic judicial system states unequivocally and unambiguously that it expects from its followers to respect the judicial process. This thesis aims to address the most recent arguments by Muslim homosexuals. I will employ Qiy s (analogical deduction) to assess these latest claims and formulate an Islamic judgment regarding them. The formulation of this judgment, though, will take place sketching a legal and historical background of homosexuality in Isl m.

O objetivo dessa dissertação é avaliar o impacto de um programa de treinamento voltado para trabalhadores, utilizando o propensity score matching, mas com dois tipos de abordagem, uma não-paramétrica e a outra semi-paramétrica. Para estimação não paramétrica foi utilizado um método proposto por Li, Racine e Wooldridge (2009) e para estimação semi-paramétrica, o modelo utilizado foi o Generalized Additive Model proposto por Hastie e Tibshirani (1990). Os resultados obtidos indicam que os dois métodos utilizados apresentam estimativas tão boas ou melhores do que quando estimadas paramétricamente. / The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the impact of a job training program using propensity score matching methods with two types of approaches: a nonparametric e another semiparametric. For non-parametric estimation was used a method proposed by Li, Racine and Wooldridge (2009) and for the semiparametric model the Generalized Additive Model proposed by Hastie and Tibshirani (1990). The results indicate that both methods provide estimates as good or better than when parametrically estimated.

abstract: In investigating mediating processes, researchers usually use randomized experiments and linear regression or structural equation modeling to determine if the treatment affects the hypothesized mediator and if the mediator affects the targeted outcome. However, randomizing the treatment will not yield accurate causal path estimates unless certain assumptions are satisfied. Since randomization of the mediator may not be plausible for most studies (i.e., the mediator status is not randomly assigned, but self-selected by participants), both the direct and indirect effects may be biased by confounding variables. The purpose of this dissertation is (1) to investigate the extent to which traditional mediation methods are affected by confounding variables and (2) to assess the statistical performance of several modern methods to address confounding variable effects in mediation analysis. This dissertation first reviewed the theoretical foundations of causal inference in statistical mediation analysis, modern statistical analysis for causal inference, and then described different methods to estimate causal direct and indirect effects in the presence of two post-treatment confounders. A large simulation study was designed to evaluate the extent to which ordinary regression and modern causal inference methods are able to obtain correct estimates of the direct and indirect effects when confounding variables that are present in the population are not included in the analysis. Five methods were compared in terms of bias, relative bias, mean square error, statistical power, Type I error rates, and confidence interval coverage to test how robust the methods are to the violation of the no unmeasured confounders assumption and confounder effect sizes. The methods explored were linear regression with adjustment, inverse propensity weighting, inverse propensity weighting with truncated weights, sequential g-estimation, and a doubly robust sequential g-estimation. Results showed that in estimating the direct and indirect effects, in general, sequential g-estimation performed the best in terms of bias, Type I error rates, power, and coverage across different confounder effect, direct effect, and sample sizes when all confounders were included in the estimation. When one of the two confounders were omitted from the estimation process, in general, none of the methods had acceptable relative bias in the simulation study. Omitting one of the confounders from estimation corresponded to the common case in mediation studies where no measure of a confounder is available but a confounder may affect the analysis. Failing to measure potential post-treatment confounder variables in a mediation model leads to biased estimates regardless of the analysis method used and emphasizes the importance of sensitivity analysis for causal mediation analysis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Psychology 2013

Este trabalho consiste na tradução das Instituições de Filosofia Moral: para o uso dos estudantes da faculdade de Edimburgo, de Adam Ferguson. As lições foram publicadas em 1769 com o intuito de servir como um manual de filosofia moral; assim, compreendem os principais conceitos da filosofia britânica. Na introdução, apresentamos de modo geral os temas trabalhados por Ferguson no Um ensaio sobre a história da sociedade civil (1767) e nas Instituições, principalmente no que diz respeito à análise da natureza do homem para a fundamentação da moral. Com a presente tradução das Instituições, pretendemos trazer para o português um importante texto do iluminismo e indicar sucintamente a influência de Ferguson sobre o pensamento de Friedrich Schiller, autor de A educação estética do homem, com a aproximação dos conceitos fergusonianos de propensão (propensity) e de jogo (play) ao conceito de impulso lúdico (Spieltrieb) de Schiller. Por esse motivo, incluímos também, em forma de notas, trechos dos comentários de Christian Garve, cuja tradução das Instituições, de 1772, foi, na época, a mediação à leitura do autor escocês nos círculos intelectuais alemães. / This work is a translation of the Institutes of Moral Philosophy: for the use of students in the College of Edinburgh, by Adam Ferguson. The lessons were published in 1769 in order to be used as a manual of moral philosophy, thus, it comprises the main concepts of the British philosophy. In the introduction, we present the general themes discussed by Ferguson in An essay on the history of civil society (1767) and in the Institutes, especially with regard to the analysis of mans nature to the foundation of morality . With this translation of the Institutes, we intend to bring to the Portuguese an important text of the Enlightenment and briefly indicate Ferguson\'s influence on the thought of Friedrich Schiller, author of The aesthetic education of man, with the approach of Fergusons concepts of propensity and play and Schillers concept of play drive (Spieltrieb). For this reason, we have also included, in the form of notes, excerpts from Christian Garves comments, whose translation of the Institutes of 1772 was at the time the reading mediation of the Scottish authors in German intellectual circles.

A Economia Comportamental sob a orientação da Análise do Comportamento consiste em uma área de pesquisa que aplica princípios econômicos para exame de questões comportamentais. Uma de suas concentrações temáticas está voltada ao comportamento de consumir. Nas Ciências Econômicas, uma das principais variáveis identificadas como controladoras do consumo é a renda pessoal. Uma das ferramentas econômicas usadas para descrever esta relação de controle é a Propensão Marginal a Consumir, e o presente experimento propõe um procedimento para reproduzir esta ferramenta com sujeitos não-humanos. Neste intento, oito ratos Wistar foram expostos a uma contingência na qual o número de leds acesos em um painel sinalizava o total de reforçadores disponíveis por sessão (supostamente, uma analogia a renda pessoal). O consumo foi medido pelo volume de reforços liberados em FR10 e pelo número de leds apagados por sessão, uma vez que a liberação de p reforços apagava um led do painel. Os leds do painel que eventualmente não fossem apagados em uma sessão eram preservados para sessões posteriores, permitindo o aumento da renda pessoal dos sujeitos por sessão (supostamente, uma analogia a poupança). Além do acúmulo de poupança, a renda pessoal dos sujeitos variou neste procedimento por manipulações diretas do experimentador, consistindo assim a variável independente. Foram usados dois tipos de reforços, em duas etapas experimentais diferentes: água, um reforço essencial (Etapa 1) e uma solução de 10% sacarose, um reforço supérfluo (Etapa 2). Os resultados mostraram que a variação do número de leds acesos no painel (variações da renda pessoal) produziu variações lineares no consumo, compatíveis com as previsões da Propensão Marginal a Consumir. As principais variáveis foram o nível de privação, o tipo de reforço e o número de sujeitos. Discute-se a adição de novas variáveis experimentais para aprofundar-se no exame da relação entre renda pessoal e consumo / Behavioral Economics under the behavior analysis orientation is an area of research that applies economic principles to analytical-behavioral issues. One of its main research topics are consumption behaviors. In Economics, one of the main controlling variables of consumption is personal income. One of the economic tools used to describe this controlling relation is the Marginal Propensity to Consume, and the present study proposes an experimental procedure to reproduce this tool with non-human subjects. To this purpose, eight rats were exposed to a contingency in which the number of lit LEDs in a panel signaled the total number of reinforcers available per session (supposedly an analogy to personal income). Consumption was measured by the volume of liquids released under FR10 and the number of LEDs switched off per session (since the release of \"p\" reinforcements switched one LED off in the panel). The LEDs that were still lit after the session ended were preserved for later sessions, allowing the increase of personal income per session (supposedly, an analogy to savings). Besides the accumulation of savings, personal income varied by direct manipulation, and was the independent variable of this experiment. Two types of reinforcements were used in two different experimental phases: water, an essential good (Phase 1) and a 10% sucrose solution, a superfluous good (Phase 2). The results showed that the variation in the number of LEDs lit in the panel (changes in personal income) produced linear increases in consumption, consistent with the predictions of the Marginal Propensity to Consume. The main variables were the level of deprivation, the type of reinforcement and the number of subjects of each group. New experimental variables should be added to deepen the examination of this relationship between personal income and consumption

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-27T18:34:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação para biblioteca.pdf: 2019803 bytes, checksum: 5b2c8e4210d0dd6f5c0f10165b0c455b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-27T18:34:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação para biblioteca.pdf: 2019803 bytes, checksum: 5b2c8e4210d0dd6f5c0f10165b0c455b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-09 / A tuberculose (TB) é uma das doenças infecciosas mais antigas no mundo, e até os dias atuais ainda permanece sendo um sério problema para a saúde pública global. O Tratamento Diretamente Observado (TDO) caracteriza-se como elemento chave, no fortalecimento da adesão ao tratamento da TB e na prevenção do aparecimento de cepas resistentes aos medicamentos, uma vez que ainda existem taxas de cura inferiores a meta preconizada e um número ainda elevado de abandono do tratamento. Em Pernambuco a estratégia TDO foi implantada inicialmente pela capital Recife a partir de 2005-2007 e segundo dados, no ano de 2013 chegou a uma cobertura de 63,5% em todo o estado. Para o presente estudo foram utilizados dados secundários retirados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos e Notificações (SINAN) no período 2005 a 2014. Os resultados apontam que a maioria dos pacientes são adultos jovens do sexo masculino, não brancos, alfabetizados, moradores de zona urbana e entre as doenças e agravos o mais presente foi o alcoolismo. A taxa de incidência da TB apresentou uma média em torno de 48,6%. Os casos de óbitos, no estado, apresentou uma média de 4,3. A forma pulmonar predomina diante das demais, com uma média de mais de 4000 (85%) casos ao ano no Estado. A média de cura e abandono ficou em torno de 71,3% e 9,9% respectivamente. A realização do TDO só veio a surtir efeito no estado a partir de 2007 (53,86%) seguindo até o ano de 2014 com 60,37%.Foi observado que nos últimos 10 anos de estudo (2005-2014) a probabilidade de cura, a partir da diferença de médias entre os grupos, foi de 26% a mais para o grupo dos tratados (TDO) do que para o grupo controle (não TDO). Esses resultados são corroborados por três diferentes critérios de Matching (pareamento) via Propensity Score (escore de propensão): o vizinho mais próximo, indicando que os indivíduos submetidos ao TDO têm em média 23% de chances a mais de cura, com base nos Estratos, este percentual é de 21% e o Kernel, apresentou 23% a mais de chances de cura. / Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest infectious diseases in the world, and to this day still remains a serious problem for global public health. The Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) is characterized as a key element in strengthening adherence to TB treatment and prevention of the emergence of resistant strains to drugs, since there are still healing rates below the recommended target and an even higher number abandonment of treatment. In Pernambuco the DOTS strategy was implemented initially by Recife capital from 2005-2007 and second data, in 2013 reached a 63.5% coverage throughout the state. For the present study were used secondary data taken from Diseases and Notifications Information System (SINAN) in the period 2005 to 2014. The results show that most patients are young, adult males, not white, literate, urban residents and among the diseases and disorders the most present was alcoholism. The TB incidence rate in PE averaged around 48.6%. The cases of deaths, in the state, showing that PE is an average of 4.3. The pulmonary form predominates on the others, with an average of more than 4000 (85%) cases per year in the state. The average healing and abandonment was around 71.3% and 9.9% respectively. The realization of the DOTS only came to take effect in the state from 2007 (53.86%) followed by the year 2014 with 60.37%. It was observed that in the last 10 years of study (2005-2014) the probability of cure from the mean of difference between the groups was 26% higher for the group of treated (DOTS) than for the control group ( not DOT). These results are supported by three different criteria Matching by Propensity Score: the nearest neighbor matching, indicating that individuals submitted to DOTS have averaged 23% chance more healing, based on Strata this percentage is 21% and Kernel, showed 23% more chances of cure