Thesis advisor: Ina V. S. Mullis / TIMSS and PIRLS assess representative samples of students at regular intervals, measuring trends in student achievement and student contexts for learning. Because individual students are not tracked over time, analysis of international large-scale assessment data is usually conducted cross-sectionally. Gustafsson (2007) proposed examining the data longitudinally by analyzing relationships between country-level trends in background constructs and trends in student achievement. Through longitudinal analysis of international large-scale assessment data, it becomes possible to mitigate some of the confounding factors in the analysis. This dissertation extends this country-level approach to subpopulations within countries. Adapting a pseudo-panel approach from the econometrics literature (Deaton, 1985), the proposed approach creates subpopulations by grouping students based on demographic characteristics, such as gender or parental education. Following grouping, the subpopulations with the same demographic characteristics are linked across cycles and the aggregated subpopulation means are treated as panel data and analyzed through longitudinal data analysis techniques. As demonstrated herein the primary advantages of the subpopulation approach are that it allows for analysis of subgroup differences, and it captures within-country relationships in the data that are not possible to analyze at country level. Illustrative analysis examines the relationship between early literacy activities and PIRLS reading achievement using PIRLS 2001 and PIRLS 2011 data. Results from the subpopulation approach are compared with student-level and country-level cross-sectional results as well as country-level longitudinal results. In addition, within-country analysis examines the subpopulation-level relationship between early literacy activities and PIRLS reading achievement, multiple group analysis compares regression coefficient estimates between boys and girls and across parental education subgroups, and mediation analysis examines the extent that partaking in early literacy activities can explain differences between boys and girls in PIRLS reading achievement. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

In this dissertation, I examine individual decisions in occupational choice, labor supply, and health care utilization. Occupational choice decisions of female college graduates on whether to teach or not are analyzed to understand the role of fertility and relative wages using a panel estimation method. I also compare the behavioral changes in the labor force participation among teachers and non-teachers conditional on the presence of a new-born baby. Using the human capital model where a worker decides her hours of work responding to wages, and her human capital is accumulated proportional to her hours of work, I predict that the positive relationship between entry wages and post wages. Empirical evidence suggests that the shock in entry wages may be attributed to post wage differentials. I examine individuals?? choice of health insurance plan and utilization of health care services. Empirical evidence shows that there is favorable self-selection into health maintenance organizations (HMOs) plans and that HMO members use more of office-based and hospital outpatient services. It suggests ineffectiveness of HMO plans in reducing utilization.

In this dissertation, I examine individual decisions in occupational choice, labor supply, and health care utilization. Occupational choice decisions of female college graduates on whether to teach or not are analyzed to understand the role of fertility and relative wages using a panel estimation method. I also compare the behavioral changes in the labor force participation among teachers and non-teachers conditional on the presence of a new-born baby. Using the human capital model where a worker decides her hours of work responding to wages, and her human capital is accumulated proportional to her hours of work, I predict that the positive relationship between entry wages and post wages. Empirical evidence suggests that the shock in entry wages may be attributed to post wage differentials. I examine individuals?? choice of health insurance plan and utilization of health care services. Empirical evidence shows that there is favorable self-selection into health maintenance organizations (HMOs) plans and that HMO members use more of office-based and hospital outpatient services. It suggests ineffectiveness of HMO plans in reducing utilization.

Es wird untersucht, ob kritische Ereignisse (z. B. Arbeitslosigkeit) bzw. ein durch kritische Ereignisse ausgelöster finanzieller Schock die Überschuldungswahrscheinlichkeit privater Haushalte signifikant erhöhen (Schockthese). Weiters wird getestet, ob der Effekt kritischer Ereignisse durch kostensparende Handlungen abgeschwächt werden kann (Copingthese) bzw. von der finanziellen und sozialen Ausgangssituation beeinflusst ist (Vulnerabilitätsthese). Datengrundlage sind österreichische Befragungsdaten (ECHP 1995 bis 2001; EU-SILC 2004 bis 2008), auf Basis derer Panel-Regressionsmodelle geschätzt werden. Für die untersuchten kritischen Ereignisse kann kein direkter Effekt auf die Überschuldungswahrscheinlichkeit nachgewiesen werden; sehr wohl aber wirkt sich ein finanzieller Schock signifikant aus. Die Evidenz für eine Gültigkeit der Copingthese ist schwach, aber auch nach Kontrolle unbeobachteter, zeitkonstanter Faktoren stabil. Schätzungen zur Überprüfung der Vulnerabilitätsthese zeigen je nach verwendetem Vulnerabilitätsindikator unterschiedliche Ergebnisse. Die Befunde unterstreichen die Komplexität des Entstehungszusammenhanges: Überschuldung kann weder ausschließlich auf das Konsumverhalten bzw. Kosten-Nutzen-Erwägungen der Haushalte, noch ausschließlich auf exogene Schocks zurückgeführt werden.

Recent research into job insecurity (JI) features a greater tendency to undertake target group-specific investigations into the construct, in view of the growing diversity in the world of work. The present doctoral thesis focuses on a group that previous research into JI has so far failed to investigate fully, namely apprentices. The past disregard of this group is surprising, considering that young adults are at greater risk of unemployment than the average gainfully employed person (cf. de Witte, 2007). To meet the research objective of the present study, a JI tool validated by Staufenbiel et al. (2009), used to distinguish between four JI components within a 2*2 design, was modified for the target group of apprentices. In line with Borg and Elizur (1992), a differentiation was made between a cognitive and an affective JI component; furthermore, in line with Hellgren et al. (1999), quantitative JI involving the complete loss of employment was separated from qualitative JI, involving the aversive change of valued job features. In the first study, a survey was conducted amongst apprentices (a total of n = 392, from vocations requiring training in the areas of trade, crafts, industry and health care) at various vocational schools in the City of Osnabrück. Within the longitudinal design, potential antecedents and consequences of JI were gathered from these apprentices on two survey dates (T1: one year before completing the apprenticeship; T2: three to four months before completing the apprenticeship). Confirmatory analysis revealed the best fit for a two-factor model that differentiated between a cognitive and an affective JI component. Since qualitative items failed to be established on separate subcomponents within the structural analyses, as conceptually planned, these items were neglected, and further work was conducted using quantitative items only. The two-factorial structure of JI (cognitive versus affective) determined in the first study was replicated in the other two studies undertaken within the doctoral thesis. The longitudinal analyses conducted by structural equation modelling demonstrated that occupational self-efficacy and employability are the best predictors of cognitive and affective JI components, respectively. In the second study, an exhaustive survey was conducted amongst the apprentices of a large industrial group operating in the metal-working industry. These apprentices were practising various craft occupations that require training. In contrast to the preliminary study, the apprentices were at different stages of their apprenticeship at the time of the survey, enabling potential differences in levels of JI in the course of training to be determined. Furthermore, the second study focused solely on JI consequences. In addition to data provided by the apprentices, behavioural data such as absence data and the apprentices’ performance appraisals by their respective company trainer were also drawn on. The trajectory of JI in the course of the apprenticeship showed that JI was felt the least in the first year of training and the most in the penultimate year. In the third study, the focus on JI amongst apprentices was extended to the international context. To this end, around 100 wholesale trade apprentices were surveyed in each of three European countries that feature very different training systems, namely, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. While vocational training in Germany is traditionally offered as a dual system in which apprentices attend vocational school and work at the company in roughly equal parts, practical elements are less predominant in the Netherlands and are substituted fully by full-time school education in Spain. In addition to demonstrating the psychometric adequacy of the JI tool, its metric measurement invariance for samples taken amongst apprentices from the three countries was also shown in the international comparative analyses. Furthermore, employability was established as the most significant predictor of both JI components in all three countries. All in all, the results of the doctoral thesis confirm that JI is a considerable stressor for apprentices in the national and international context. The doctoral thesis concludes with a summary of the topic’s relevance in international education policy in view of the prevailing sustained high youth unemployment. With regard to methodology, diary studies are recommended for future study designs to enable the better estimation of JI covariations over time.

The present study aims to deliberate over a wider perspective on the topic of physical currency, assuming the global conversion to digital payment instruments affecting stakeholders at different scales alters number of aspects. The theoretical section discusses the process of transition to cashless society by identifying transformation stages and the barriers faced to undertake the shift. Subsequently, the links between factors as business environment, globalization, and shadow economy in relation to physical currency in circulation are examined by static and dynamic panel data analyses applying annual panel data for 70 countries for the period from 2013 to 2017. The conclusive inference is formulated based on outputs from the Blundell-Bond (1998) system GMM estimator. The empirical results provide significant evidence on negative relationship between business environment and physical currency in circulation and contrary positive link for shadow economy. Further, the greater impact of business environment on physical money among variables included, implies the promotion of electronic money solutions solely to be not sufficient to transit to cashless economy. We also construct transformation score ranking for the last five years to snap the transit stage among countries included in the study with...

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka minimilöners effekter på ungdomssysselsättning inom Europeiska unionen (EU). De åldrar som undersöks är ungdomar (15–24), vilket vidare delas in i tonåringar (15–19) och unga vuxna (20–24). Som metod används panelregressioner med fasta effekter för 17 EU-medlemsländer (inklusive Storbritannien) med lagstadgade minimilöner under perioden 2000 till 2018. Vi finner att minimilöner har signifikanta negativa effekter på ungdomssysselsättning inom EU och att dessa effekter är mer kraftfulla för tonåringar än för unga vuxna. Med hänsyn till resultatet drar vi slutsatsen att minimilöner inom EU bör handskas med försiktighet eftersom de kan leda till mindre sysselsättning bland ungdomar. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects of minimum wages on youth employment in the European Union (EU). The main study group is youths between 15-24 which is then further divided into teenagers (15–19) and young adults (20-24). We employ panel regression methods with fixed effects for 17 EU countries (including the UK) that have statutory minimum wages during the period 2000 to 2018. We find that minimum wages have significant negative employment effects for youths in the EU and that the effects are stronger for teenagers compared to young adults. We reach a conclusion that minimum wage policies in EU countries should be handled with caution as they can lead to lower youth employment.

COVID-19 continues to have a major impact on US health and society. Robust research on the epidemiology of acute and post-acute COVID-19 remains fundamentally important to informing policy makers, scientists, as well as the public. This dissertation reports on the development of a large, diverse, United States general population-based meta-cohort with standardized, prospective ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, integrated with comprehensive pre-pandemic phenotyping from 14 extant cohort studies. Meta-cohort data were used to investigate risk and resilience factors for incident severe (hospitalized or fatal) and non-severe COVID-19 and correlates of time-to-recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results support the major acute and post-acute public health impact of COVID-19 and the vital role of modifiable (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and non-modifiable (e.g., age, sex) risk factors for adverse COVID-19 outcomes. Findings suggest that standard primary care interventions—including obesity and cardiometabolic disease prevention and treatment, depression care, and vaccination—remain fundamental to COVID-19 risk mitigation among US adults. Given its longitudinal design and comprehensive pre-pandemic and pandemic-era measurements, the meta-cohort is well suited to support ongoing work regarding the public health impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19, post-acute sequelae, and pandemic-related social and behavioral changes across multiple health domains.

[pt] Diversos trabalhos publicados recentemente analisam o impacto da entrada de bancos estrangeiros no mercado bancário brasileiro. Muitos desses estudos avaliam o impacto dessa entrada no desempenho dos bancos nacionais, na oferta de crédito e em outras variáveis. Outros estudos enfatizam a oferta de crédito e o papel social dos bancos como fontes de financiamento para a iniciativa privada. Entretanto nenhum estudo amplo foi realizado com o objetivo de se identificar quais são os fatores determinantes da estratégia de alocação de ativos dos bancos com atividades de varejo no Brasil, e se esses fatores diferem entre bancos privados nacionais, bancos estrangeiros e bancos estatais. Para responder essas questões este estudo analisa dados das demonstrações financeiras de 35 bancos referentes ao período de 2000 a 2003. Os bancos da amostra foram selecionados na lista dos 50 Maiores Bancos por Ativos Totais (-) Intermediações, elaborada pelo Banco Central do Brasil, com um critério adicional de terem apresentado mais de cinco agências bancárias em qualquer ano do período analisado. Este trabalho enfatiza as características dos bancos como fatores determinantes da estratégia de alocação de ativos. Foram realizados testes estatísticos e regressões de dados em painel considerando três grupos de regressores: tamanho do banco, tipo de controle, e sua estrutura de financiamento. Os resultados sugerem que há diferenças no financiamento dos ativos entre bancos privados nacionais, estrangeiros e estatais. / [en] Several recent papers analyze the impact of foreign bank entry on the Brazilian bank market. Some of these studies assess the impact of those entrances on domestic banks` performance, on the overall credit supply, and on other variables. Other studies emphasize the credit supply and the banks` social role as financiers of the private sector. Nevertheless, no comprehensive study has aimed at identifying the determinant factors of asset allocation strategies of banks with retail activities in Brazil, and whether these factors vary according to different bank ownership control - private domestic, government, and foreign. With the objective of shedding some light on this subject, this work analyzes the financial statements of 35 banks in the time period 2000 - 2003. The sampled banks were selected from the list of the Largest 50 Banks by Total Assets (-) Intermediations, organized by The Central Bank of Brazil, with the additional criteria of having more than 5 offices in any year of the considered time period. The present work emphasizes the banks` characteristics as determinant factors of asset allocation strategies. Statistical tests and panel data analysis were run allowing for three regressor groups: bank size, ownership control, and funding structure. The results suggest there are significant differences between private domestic, government, and foreign banks in financing their assets.

This dissertation examines the causal relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth (GDP) in SADC countries. The study investigates, within a panel data context, whether causation is short-term, long-term or both; and explores whether the causal relationship between the two variables differs according to income level. The study covered a panel of 15 SADC countries over the period 1980-2012. In order to assess whether the causal relationship between FDI inflows and economic growth is dependent on the level of income, the study divided the SADC countries into two groups, namely, the low-income and the middleincome countries. The study used the recently developed panel data analysis methods to examine this causal relationship. It adopted a three stage approach, which consists of panel unit root, panel cointegration and Granger causality to examine the dynamic causal relationship between the two variables. Panel unit root results show that both variables in the two SADC country groups were integrated of order one. Panel cointegration tests showed that the variables for low-income country group were not cointegrated, while the variables for the middle-income countries were cointegrated. Since the low-income country group panels were not cointegrated, Grangercausality tests were conducted within a VAR framework, while causality tests for the middleincome country group were conducted within an ECM framework. Panel Granger causality results for the low-income countries showed no evidence of causality in either direction. However, for the middle-income countries’ panel, there was evidence of a unidirectional causal flow from GDP to FDI in both the long- and short- run. The study concludes that the FDI-led growth hypothesis does not apply to SADC countries. The results imply that the recent high economic growth rates recorded in the SADC region, especially middle-income countries, have been attracting FDI. In other words, it is economic growth that drives FDI inflows into the SADC region, and not vice versa. These findings have profound policy implications for the SADC region at large and individual countries. / Economics / MCOM (Economics)