This thesis examines the labor force participation decisions of married couples, and special attention is paid to a spouse’s health conditions affecting their own and the spouse’s labor force participation decision. I used the Health and Retirement Study survey data and estimated a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model. A number of variables besides health condition were added: age, education level, and family unearned income. The results of this research paper support the findings from the relevant literature that the labor supply decisions of the husband and wife are related. The oldest age group is least likely to work. The younger the husband, the more likely it is that the husband will work. At the ages between 40 and 49, wives have the biggest probability to work. The higher the education level, the more likely it is that a spouse is going to work. The more total family unearned income, the less probable the spouse will go to work. Poor health has a negative effect on labor force participation and a positive effect for the spouse’s labor force participation.

The objective of this paper is to examine factors affecting the risk management behavior of Western Canadian grain producers. The first part analyzes factors affecting perceptions of crop insurance. Data for the study is generated from a survey of agricultural producers in Western Canada, and a probit model is used for estimation. Results show that if farmers receive fair crop insurance assessments, quick payments, and have a high knowledge level of crop insurance, they are more likely to have a more positive perception of crop insurance. The second part examines factors that could be influencing the frequency by which agricultural producers hedge their price risk with futures. The same data and estimation method are used. Results show that if farmers use forward contracts and options to hedge price risk, speculate with futures, place a high importance on low brokerage fees, or have larger farms, that are more likely to hedge.

The objective of this paper is to examine factors affecting the risk management behavior of Western Canadian grain producers. The first part analyzes factors affecting perceptions of crop insurance. Data for the study is generated from a survey of agricultural producers in Western Canada, and a probit model is used for estimation. Results show that if farmers receive fair crop insurance assessments, quick payments, and have a high knowledge level of crop insurance, they are more likely to have a more positive perception of crop insurance. The second part examines factors that could be influencing the frequency by which agricultural producers hedge their price risk with futures. The same data and estimation method are used. Results show that if farmers use forward contracts and options to hedge price risk, speculate with futures, place a high importance on low brokerage fees, or have larger farms, that are more likely to hedge.

近年來台灣面臨了人口高齡化的現象，有關中高齡人口的議題成為了學者與社會大眾關注的焦點，其中，自1988以來中高齡已婚男性勞動參與率至2008年為止已下降了約十個百分點，這個現象值得我們去深入了解。本篇論文主要在探討中高齡已婚男性勞動參與的決定因素，研究的資料來源為1988至2008年的人力資源及人力運用調查。其中，我選擇了55至64歲的已婚男性為對象，而總樣本數為51,730，本論文先以probit與bivariate probit模型估計每一個變數對中高齡已婚男性勞動決策的邊際影響效果，再以Oaxaca與DiNardo, Fortin, and Lemieux (DFL)分解模式，試著拆解每一個變數對整體中高齡已婚男性勞動參與率的影響性。 此篇論文著重在兩個主要變數對中高齡已婚男性勞動參與的影響:妻子的勞動參與以及地區性的失業率。近年來越來越多已婚婦女投入職場，我想了解婦女勞動參與率的上升，對整體丈夫勞動參與率的影響；另外地區的失業率是表現出地區勞動市場的重要指標之一，過去的文獻提到失業嚴重的地區可能使當地勞工失業後找不到工作，或使想進入職場的勞工卻步。此篇論文研究結果顯示妻子的勞動參與會顯著的影響先生對勞動市場去留的決定，妻子影響個人的勞動參與機率6~18%左右，而1%地區性失業率的上升，則是對個人的勞動參與機率下降的影響約1.5%左右。在1988年至2008年整體中高齡已婚男性勞動參與率的分解中，勞動參與率下降了3.5%（占整體變化40%），可歸咎於地區失業率的升高。而若妻子的勞動參與沒有提升，仍維持1988年的水準，整體丈夫的勞動參與率將會下降1%（占整體變化10%）左右，本論文認為若政府能維持良好的就業市場環境，將有助於提高中高齡已婚男性人口勞動參與的比率，進一步能有效提高勞動生產力及降低社會負擔。 / As the proportion of the old population increases in Taiwan, issues of older individuals’ behavior attract public attention. During 1988 to 2008, labor force participation rate of older married men declined over 10 percent. What can explain this decline? This thesis tries to find out the determinants of older married men’s labor force participation in Taiwan. I use the data from Manpower Survey and Manpower Utilization Survey from 1988 to 2008, conducted by Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). The sample comprise 51,730 observations of married men aged 55-64. Older married men’s labor participation decision is treated as a dependent variable and estimates are made with a probit and a bivariate probit model. Decompositions with methodology of DiNardo, Fortin, and Lemieux (1996) and Oaxaca (1973) are conducted for explaining the decline in labor participation rate of older married men between 1988 and 2008. The results indicate that the increase in wives’ labor force participation increases husband’s likelihood of participation and prevents aggregate husbands’ participation rate from declining about 1 percentage point (-8 percent of total decline). However, regional unemployment rate negatively affects husband’s likelihood of participation and can explain at least 3.5 percent (40 percent of total decline) of the decline in husband’s participation rate. This thesis suggests the labor force participation rate could be stopped from declining if the government maintains good labor market condition.

Magíster en Economía Aplicada. Ingeniero Civil Industrial / Un gran esfuerzo en I+D se ha desplegado durante los últimos diez años para el desarrollo de terapias genéticas, impulsado por la esperanza de combatir las enfermadedes en su expresión más básica. Simultáneamente se observan diversas fusiones y adquisiciones en este mercado. ¿Cuál es la principal causa de las fusiones? ¿Son razones de eficiencia en la investigación justificadas por la red genética? Para responder esta pregunta se elabora un modelo probit cuya variable dependiente es la dummy de fusión o adquisición entre firmas, al cual se le aplican gran cantidad de variantes y diversos tests de robustez. Se evalúa la importancia del target genético junto con otras variables como target de enfermedades y target de áreas terapéuticas. A su vez se adiciona una variable que intenta dilucidar la existencia de una relación continua entre la dummy y la presencia de target genéticos en ambas firmas, proveniente de la teoría de grafos. El enfoque de este trabajo es novedoso por dos razones: hasta el momento nadie ha investigado si las fusiones o adquisiciones entre empresas farmacéuticas pueden explicarse a partir de las terapias genéticas que estas realizan (producto del reciente florecimiento de este tipo de terapias) y tampoco se ha explorado la estructura de red de los genes para explicar el comportamiento de las firmas (en términos de adquisición o fusión). Esta investigación utiliza dos bases de datos. De Thomson Reuters Cortellis Life Sciences se extraen 1.417 proyectos con target genético, correspondientes a 514 firmas distintas, que ocurren desde el año 1989 hasta el año 2014. Mientras que de Deloitte RECAP IQ se obtienen 3.763 fusiones y adquisiciones de empresas farmacéuticas, desde 1988 hasta 2011. Los datos sugieren que en presencia de dos firmas con target genético compartido, su probabilidad de fusión o adquisición es aproximadamente sesenta y cinco veces más alta, que cuando no hay genes en común. Las otras variables no son siempre significativas para el modelo, y no resisten los tests de robustez. Con respecto a la variable continua proveniente de la teoría de grafos, "Distancia de Wallis", se encuentra que es colineal a la dummy de target genético y pierde significancia cuando se coloca en el modelo junto a ella. A su vez se demuestra que la probabilidad de que una firma pequeña sea adquirida por una grande aumenta considerablemente si ambas firmas están trabajando en un gen en común y la firma pequeña ha desarrollado un fármaco relacionado a dicho gen que haya superado una etapa inicial ("Discovery"). Este trabajo de tesis deja abiertas preguntas de investigación, como por ejemplo evaluar si las externalidades en I+D presentadas por las fusiones o adquisiciones en esta nueva era se condicen con las que se presentaban antes de que la terapia génica tomase relevancia. / Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por CONICYT

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar possíveis desigualdades sócio-econômicas na saúde no Estado de São Paulo e no Município de Ribeirão Preto. Os dados utilizados para São Paulo são provenientes da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) de 2003, realizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), e que apresenta características dos indivíduos e do domicílio. A base para Ribeirão Preto consiste em uma coorte desenvolvida pelo departamento de Puericultura e Pediatria de Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da USP no período de junho de 1978 a maio de 1979. Analisou-se a distribuição das variáveis relativas à saúde (doenças crônicas e auto-avaliação) entre quintis de renda. Adicionalmente, foram calculados Índices de Concentração de Saúde, cuja construção é semelhante a do Índice de Gini. Esse índice considera a proporção acumulada de determinada doença e a proporção acumulada da população, ordenada de forma crescente de acordo com a renda. Foram estimados também os impactos de algumas variáveis explicativas sobre a probabilidade de apresentar determinada doença ou de se auto-avaliar de determinada forma. Para o Estado de São Paulo consideraram-se como variáveis explicativas: escolaridade, sexo, cor e idade (todas variáveis dummy). Para Ribeirão Preto foram consideradas como variáveis explicativas: escolaridade, o fato de um dos pais apresentar a doença em questão, o fato de um dos pais apresentar alguma outra doença crônica, sexo e cor (todas variáveis dummy). O método de estimação utilizado para analisar o impacto sobre a probabilidade de apresentar dada doença foi o Probit. Já para auto-avaliação foi utilizado o Probit Ordenado. Os resultados para o Estado de São Paulo demonstraram, em sua maioria, desigualdade na saúde em favor dos ricos. Além disso, em geral, quanto maior a escolaridade menor a probabilidade de apresentar determinada doença. Em relação a Ribeirão Preto, os resultados não foram totalmente conclusivos, uma vez a quarta etapa da coorte apresentou indivíduos de 22 a 26 anos, cuja faixa etária apresenta pequena incidência de doenças crônicas. Todavia, notou-se que a saúde dos pais influencia na saúde dos filhos, tanto por meio de características transmitidas, quanto devido ao fato de que pais com saúde ruim não devem poder ter muitos gastos com a saúde dos filhos. / The aim of this work was to evaluated eventual socio-economic health inequalities in State of São Paulo and Municipal District of Ribeirão Preto. The data related to São Paulo were obtained from the National Survey by Households Sampling (PNAD) of 2003, elaborated by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which presents individual and household characteristics. The Ribeirão Preto database consists in a cohort developed by the Pediatrics and Puericulture Department of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School-USP in the period between June of 1978 and May of 1979. It was analyzed the distribution of the health variables (chronicle diseases and self-assessment) between quintiles of income. In addition, it were calculated Health Concentration Indexes, whose construction is similar to the Gini Indexes. This index considers the accumulated proportion of certain disease and the accumulated proportion of the population, ordered according to the income. It was also estimated the impacts of some explanatory variables on the probability of presenting certain disease or self-assessing in certain way. For the State of São Paulo it was considered as explanatory variables: education, gender, race and age (all dummy variables). For the Municipal District of Ribeirão Preto it was considered as explanatory variables: education, the fact that one of the parents has the disease, the fact that one of the parents has another chronicle disease, gender and race (all dummy variables). It was employed the Probit method to analyze the impact on the probability of presenting certain illness. For the self-assessment variable, the Ordered Probit method was employed. Generally, the results for the State of São Paulo showed inequality in benefit of the richest. Besides, in general, the higher the education the lower is the probability of having certain disease. In the case of Ribeirão Preto, the results weren?t totally conclusive, since the fourth stage of the cohort presented individuals between 22 and 26 years old, whose age class show little incidence of chronicle diseases. Nevertheless, one can note that the health of the parents influences the health of their sons. As for the fact that certain characteristics are passed on, as for the fact that ill parents should not have large expenses with the health of their sons.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a influência de possíveis determinantes empíricos na felicidade dos brasileiros. Os determinantes considerados foram estado civil, idade, escolaridade, sexo, região, religião, etnia, renda, posição relativa da renda, desemprego, probabilidade de desemprego para indivíduos empregados e probabilidade de emprego para indivíduos desempregados. Estes determinantes foram utilizados no modelo de probit ordenado para a estimação da felicidade. Para isso foram utilizados os dados disponibilizados pelo World Values Survey para os anos de 1991 e 1997. Os resultados obtidos mostram a variável renda como altamente significativa para a determinação da felicidade. Ela esteve presente nos resultados de quase todas as estimações realizadas. A variável posição relativa da renda, apesar de não ter sido significativa para explicar a felicidade apresentou uma relação positiva com a felicidade (quanto maior a renda de um indivíduo perante seus semelhantes, melhor tende a ser sua posição frente a eles, o que contribui positivamente para sua felicidade). O desemprego também se mostrou quase sempre presente. Essa variável se mostrou mais significativa na determinação da felicidade do que as variáveis que relacionam desemprego com probabilidade de emprego e emprego com probabilidade de desemprego. Casamento, em geral, é um importante determinante na felicidade dos brasileiros (o que confirma os dados encontrados em muitos outros países), comparativamente aos demais estados civis. As mulheres são menos felizes que os homens: apresentam uma relação negativa com a felicidade comparativamente aos homens. E por fim, as religiões católica e espírita (denominação deste trabalho para englobar religiões como candomblé, espiritismo e umbanda) possuem coeficiente negativo para a felicidade. / The objective of this work is to analyze the influence of possible empirical determinants on Brazilian happiness. The determinants considered were: marital status age, education, gender, region, religion, ethnic description, income, relative position of income, unemployment, unemployment probability of employed individual, employment probability of unemployed individual. These determinants were used with ordered probit model to the happiness estimation. The study used the data from the World Social Survey for the years 1991 and 1997. The results show that income has a great significance on determining happiness. It was present in the results of almost all estimations done. The variable relative position of income although not significant to explain happiness showed a positive relation to happiness (the greatest is the income of an individual compared to his fellows the better tends to be his position compared to them, what contributes to his happiness). Unemployment also was present. This variable has demonstrated more significant than the ones that relate unemployment to probabilities of employment and employment to probabilities of unemployment. Being married in general is an important determinant of Brazilian happiness (that agrees to the results founded in many other countries) comparatively to the others marital status. Women are less happy than men: they presented a negative relation to happiness comparatively to men. Finely, the catholic and espírita religions (the last one considered in this work to represent religions like candomblé, espiritismo e umbanda) have negative coefficient to explain happiness.

Submitted by Israel Vieira Neto (israel.vieiraneto@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-06T17:04:41Z No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO_DANIELLE TAVARES PESSOA.unlocked.pdf: 1386707 bytes, checksum: 7af80b08526be87b75d0bca9f0977e17 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-06T17:04:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO_DANIELLE TAVARES PESSOA.unlocked.pdf: 1386707 bytes, checksum: 7af80b08526be87b75d0bca9f0977e17 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-21 / FACEPE / O presente trabalho busca identificar o comprometimento dos produtores do Polo Petrolina/Juazeiro em relação às suas dívidas junto ao Setor Público e Privado, bem como as causas dessas inadimplências. A amostra utilizada neste trabalho representa dados em corte transversal para o ano de 2009 referentes a 1337 produtores localizados nos Perímetros Nilo Coelho, Maria Tereza e Bebedouro. A metodologia utilizada foram os modelos Logit e Probit Ordenado sob o método da Máxima Verossimilhança. A variável dependente considerada para análise foi a situação do produtor (classificado como adimplente, renegociante e inadimplente) e as variáveis explicativas foram área plantada, renda mensal, escolaridade e idade. Paralelamente, foram feitas estimações adicionando variáveis explicativas auxiliares, selecionadas através do teste de redundância. Essas variáveis auxiliares foram: número de filhos, ser ou não colono, quantidade de lotes, presença de certificado internacional, planejamento produtivo, quantidade de funcionários e negociação através de contratos formais. Os resultados mostram que o principal problema da inadimplência está relacionado às dívidas contraídas junto às instituições públicas, tratadas como bancos públicos e CODEVASF. Essas dívidas chegam a ser oito vezes maior do que as dívidas junto ao Setor Privado. No tocante ao Setor Público pesam negativamente as variáveis: área plantada no lote, ser colono, número de lotes. Junto ao Setor Privado, são as variáveis filhos dependentes, participação em associações e não possuir contratos formais que aumentam a probabilidade do produtor não pagar suas dívidas.

This study estimates the value of farmers stated succession plans in predicting revealed succession decisions. The stated succession plan exists when a farmer answers in a survey questionnaire that the farm is going to be transferred to a new entrant within a five year period. The succession is revealed when the farm is transferred to a successor. The stated and revealed behaviour is estimated as a recursive Binomial-Probit- Model, which accounts for censoring of the decision variables and controls for a potential correlation between the estimating equations. The results suggest that the succession plans, as stated by elderly farmers in the questionnaires, do not provide information that is significant and valuable in predicting the true, revealed successions, once certain farm and farmer characteristics are controlled for.

The objective of this study is to determine whether there are inadequacies in the rural financial markets of Virginia. The analysis is based on data from a survey of farm and non-farm small businesses, in five rural counties in Virginia. A Probit model is used to determine whether the financing difficulty encountered by small rural businesses is significantly determined by non-risk characteristics of users of capital and/or non-risk characteristics of local capital markets. Four variables representing different aspects of financing difficulty are used as the dependent variables in each of the four models used in this study. These variables are, loan denial and non-local financing reported by the survey respondents, opinions of survey respondents on the adequacy of local capital markets, and their expectations on future satisfaction with the performance of the local capital market. Businesses' risk characteristics should be the only determinant of the financing difficulty faced by capital users. However, this analysis indicates that access to capital is determined by non-risk local businesses' and local financial market characteristics as well. Among the most influential non-risk characteristics are: firm size, number of non-local locations, number of competitors in the local market, form of ownership, size of local financial institutions, and local financial institutions' specialization in lending to small businesses. In addition there are large differences in the way financing needs are met in different economic sectors in rural areas. Non-agricultural businesses seem to have less access to financing compared to agricultural businesses. Further, there is evidence that information in rural financial markets is not complete, and that the sources of information are limited. The evidence on availability of capital is mixed and insufficient to conclude that this is an issue in rural Virginia. The results of the analysis are used to identify ways to increase the availability of cost efficient capital for new and small businesses in rural areas in Virginia. The recommendations include considerations on how to improve governmental presence in rural capital markets to provide or facilitate better access to capital. / Ph. D.