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Screen time and developmental evidence: An empirical assessment from rural West Bengal
Get PDFThe rise of social media use among adolescents has sparked growing concerns regarding its potential impact on both physical health and academic performance. This paper is trying to explore the intricate relationship between social media scrolling time and two major student developmental outcomes: Quetelet index and Test scores in the Madhyamik (10-th board) examination. Primary data has been collected through a structured questionnaire (Pro-goti) survey administered to 300 students across four administrative blocks in West Bengal. We apply multivariate regression model estimation to account for interdependent educational and health outcomes. Preliminary findings suggest that higher social media use is negatively associated with both well-being and academic performance. The association with Quetelet index, while weaker, is contextually relevant due to the behavioural and lifestyle implications of prolonged screen exposure. Regression results indicates that higher levels of parental education contributing significantly to improved test scores, underscoring the intergenerational transmission of educational advantages. Children from joint families and larger households tend to perform worse, possibly due to divided attention, limited resources, or less conducive study environments. Religious disparities are also evident, with students from the Muslim community recording significantly lower test scores compared to their Hindu counterparts. The results provide valuable early evidence to inform policy discussions around screen time regulation, digital education literacy, and school-based behavioural interventions
Rushing to the altar? Same-sex marriages when rights feel at risk
Get PDFThe literature on same-sex marriage has primarily focused on the effects of legal recognition, overlooking the factors that influence marriage decisions among samesex couples. This study provides novel evidence on the role of political context by analyzing how the election of a homophobic leader affects these decisions. Using the case of Brazil, we examine the effect of revealed local support for the openly homophobic Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential elections on same-sex marriage dynamics. To estimate this effect, we apply a difference-indifferences approach with varying treatment intensity. The results show a significant increase in same-sex marriages in municipalities with higher support for Bolsonaro during the period between the election and the start of his mandate. These findings suggest that perceived threats of rights restrictions can play a critical role in shaping personal decisions among minority groups, even in the absence of legal changes
Consumer protection versus competition: the case of mandatory refunds
Get PDFThe consumer protection policy of mandating full refunds has received a lot of attention from policymakers and academics. Despite this, not enough is known about how sellers strategically respond to the policy and the market conditions under which such strategic
responses can lead to unintended consequences. To address this, we analyze the impact of the policy on market outcomes and welfare for a general class of competition models that continuously link monopoly to Bertrand. While consumers bene�t in sufficiently uncompetitive markets provided consumers' costs of returning the good are low, we show how consumers will always be harmed in sufficiently competitive markets. Furthermore, in an example model that falls within the general class, we demonstrate how the policy can surprisingly i) harm consumers even in very uncompetitive markets, close to monopoly, and ii) benefit consumers most in markets away from the monopoly extreme
Agglomeration in purely neoclassical and symmetric economies
Get PDFThis article demonstrates the emergence of agglomeration unaccompanied by conventional drivers such as scale economies, externalities or comparative advantages. We construct a two-region general equilibrium model with four types of households; there are four commodities and the same linear production functions in each region. Households migrate in search of commodities they lack in their endowment. A type sorts disassortatively toward another type who holds such commodities, resulting in intense agglomerations of diverse types. In contrast, a type sorts assortatively away from another type when they compete for endowments that cannot be transported or produced, resulting in moderate agglomerations dominated by selected types. We identify type complementarity and endowment portability as the primary causative factors behind spatial sorting and the resultant equilibrium agglomeration
Innovation and Bank Capital Adequacy: An Empirical Assessment across European Economies
Get PDFThis paper explores the connection between innovation dynamics and the Bank Capital to Asset Ratio (CAR) in the context of 39 European nations from 2018 to 2025. With a multidimensional panel data approach that incorporates a combination of static and dynamic panel models and machine learning algorithms—specifically Decision Tree Regression—the study conducts a data-oriented analysis of the impact of various types of innovation on the resilience of the banking sector. The study differentiates innovation inputs (e.g., trademark applications, innovator share), outputs (e.g., new-to-marketing and new-to-firm product sales), and productivity factors and factors permitting a finely grained comprehension of innovation inputs and financial consequences. Cluster analysis is applied to classify countries into innovation performance groups and is followed by regression and variable importance calculations. The study identifies that process innovations executed by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are positively linked with CAR and that information is associated with greater financial stability, whereas innovation outputs and productivity indicators at times relate inversely and register corresponding financial stress in the face of innovation-driven transitions. Further, pre-stage innovation inputs may raise banks' uncertainty and register systematic risk escalation. The model of a Decision Tree also reveals the sales of innovative products and labor productivity to be the most robust determinants of CAR with varied directional impacts between them. These results document the innovation-finance nexus complexity and refute the supposition that innovation equally strengthens economic prudence. The study contributes new knowledge to the literature through the combination of the assessment of financial prudency with the type of innovation and provides clear policy directions for the synchronization of innovation strategies with macroprudency aims across the European region
Europe’s Trade Surplus, International Relative Prices, and the Productivity Growth Gap
Get PDFThe Euro Area faces persistently weak productivity growth alongside a sustained trade surplus and a trendless real exchange rate. This column shows that persistent productivity growth differentials relative to the rest of the world, are a key driver of Europe’s external surplus. Structural trade shifts, such as declining home bias and falling import prices, have offset the appreciation pressures from the productivity-growth gap. Weak domestic investment is partly driven by global forces, highlighting the limits of purely demand-based explanations and associated policy prescriptions
Why Do Firms Choose to Greenwash: An Evolutionary Analysis of Greenwashing Incentives and Deterrents
Get PDFWith the increasing demand for sustainable products, greenwashing has become more prevalent and sophisticated over the past decade. To better understand the incentives for firms to greenwash, we develop an evolutionary game-theoretic model in which firms may choose to mimic green behavior without having to bear the cost linked to green investment and production. We provide the conditions for the different evolutionarily stable equilibria. In a second step, we extend the model using agent-based simulations to incorporate path-dependent investment/production costs, history-dependent mimicry effectiveness, peer effects, and localized firm interactions. We show that the simpler model with random matching offers good approximations of the equilibrium conditions in more complex setups, but market segmentation supports green investment and production in contrast to higher penalties. While curtailing opportunities to pretend green behavior boosts green production, we also find that increasing cost efficiencies encourage firms to engage in green production, even in the face of increasingly sophisticated deceptive strategies. Based on our results, we suggest trio-targeted policies that reduce the (initial) costs of green investment/production, curtail opportunities to mimic green behavior, and support segmentation
Affordable Housing in Germany - A Taxonomy of Acceptance at Federal, State, and Local Levels
Get PDFThe increasing complexity of issues relating to the availability of affordable housing in Germany demands a sophisticated understanding of public sensitivities and policy frameworks. The study applies a grounded theory methodology to explore how the
acceptance of affordable housing is shaped at the federal, state, and local levels. The data is systematically coded and compared based on eleven in-depth expert interviews, with the aim of creating a taxonomy of acceptance consisting of four dimensions: governmental issues, public debate and image, solidarity and responsibility, and promotion the right on housing. The analysis indicates that subsidies and political will are essential, but these
factors alone cannot ensure long-term sustainability without the presence of stable regulations, the involvement of communities in planning, and strategies to reduce stigmatisation. Historical stereotypes and selective media coverage continue to hinder
acceptance, but grounded theory shows how solidarity, discourse and a rights-based framework can reframe housing as a social good. The study demonstrates that acceptance is more than merely a technical problem-solving process; rather, it is a systemic and
comprehensive process. By redefining housing as a fundamental right and cornerstone of urban diversity, this research invites stakeholders to view affordable housing not as residual welfare, but as essential infrastructure for social justice and a sustainable urban
future
The workforce shortage on the Romanian labor market: Attempts to compensate through the admission of foreign quotas
Get PDFRomania is facing a structural labor shortage, caused by factors such as demographic decline, massive external migration, an aging active population, and the mismatch between the education system and labor market demands. In this context, one of the solutions identified by the authorities is the controlled admission of quotas of foreign workers. This article analyzes the measures adopted to facilitate the legal import of labor and follows recent developments concerning the employment and posting of non-EU citizens in Romania, in parallel with trends in repeatedly declared vacant jobs. It presents relevant statistical data for the period 2021–2024 and puts forward concrete proposals for making the work permit and visa system more flexible, simplifying administrative procedures, and incentivizing employers through fiscal measures. The goal is to help balance the labor market and mitigate the negative effects of migration by promoting a model of legal and sustainable mobility that benefits both the national economy and foreign workers and their countries of origin
The Evolution of Behavioral Economics in Policy Design: A Critical Review (2015–2025)
Get PDFPurpose
This paper provides a critical synthesis of the key developments in the application of behavioral economics (BE) to public policy from 2015 to 2025. It analyzes the field's institutionalization, the evolution of its core concepts, and the significant critiques that have shaped its modern trajectory.
Design/methodology/approach
This article is a comprehensive literature review, synthesizing findings from published academic papers, institutional reports, and meta-analyses. It systematically maps empirical findings across policy domains and critically examines ethical, methodological, and practical challenges.
Findings
The review finds that BE has matured from a novel tool into an established field. Mechanisms like defaults, framing, and friction reduction have been widely deployed with varying success. This period has also been defined by a critical reckoning with the replication crisis and ethical debates concerning autonomy. The field is responding by integrating with computational social science and artificial intelligence, moving toward more interdisciplinary and empowering approaches.
Originality/value
This review offers a nuanced, critical analysis of a pivotal decade in behavioral public policy. It moves beyond cataloging interventions to provide a coherent narrative of institutionalization, challenge, and adaptation. The paper concludes that the field's value lies in fostering a more realistic, evidence-based, and human-centric paradigm for policy design