1,721,002 research outputs found
Economic insecurity, conservatism, and the crisis of environmentalism: 30 years of evidence
No full textThere is an ongoing scientific debate about how environmental concern develops in a population, and under which circumstances it might decline at some point. In this paper, by analysing thirty years of microdata from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), I investigate the role of socioeconomic factors and political preferences in altering and addressing environmental perceptions in Germany, Europe's green leader. Results from correlated random-effects models reveal, inter alia, that economic insecurity and support for right-wing political parties significantly contribute to lowering environmental concern. Hence, policymakers ought to focus on economic insecurity in order to increase citizens' environmental concern and, eventually, bring an enhancement in pro-environmental behaviour as a result of the voters' political will
The environmental impact of financial insecurity and conservatism in Germany
No full textThere is an ongoing scientific debate about how environmental concern develops in a population, and under which circumstances it might decline at some point. By analysing 29 years of microdata from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), this paper investigates the role of economic factors and political preferences in altering and addressing environmental perceptions in Germany, Europe’s green leader. Results from multinomial and conditional logistic regression models reveal, inter alia, that economic insecurity and support for right-wing political parties significantly contribute to lowering environmental concern
Statistical hypothesis testing within the Generalized Error Distribution: Comparing the behavior of some nonparametric techniques
No full textThis paper’s goal is to deal with the issue of hypothesis testing when the errors are assumed to be distributed according to a Generalized Error Distribution. Focus is given to the central tendency parameters, validating the suitability of nonparametric methods in this respect. The present work describes a simulation study aimed at assessing the validity of the Van der Waerden and Wilcoxon tests in the case of data coming from a G.E.D.; in order to compare the statistical power of such tests, we proceed to calculate the usual empirical significance level. The use of test statistics obtained by means of a Van der Waerden test generalized by considering the G.E.D.’s shape parameter provides better results, in terms of statistical power, compared to the Wilcoxon and the classic Van der Waerden tests
We are in the same storm but not in the same boat: Impact of COVID-19 on UK households
No full textThe United Kingdom introduced a national lockdown in March 2020, as a means to curb the rising pace of COVID-19 infections in the country. Since then, the various restrictions imposed on citizens have caused enormous social and economic consequences on the UK population. However, full awareness of the mid- and long-term impacts of such measures is still lacking. In this paper, by making use of longitudinal data from the Understanding Society COVID-19 study, consisting of nine survey waves administered to a representative sample of UK citizens from April 2020 to September 2021, we analyse the potential determinants of employment losses and provision of financial assistance, particularly emphasising the differential effects related to individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics
Evaluation of a program for promoting physical activity and well-being: Friuli Venezia Giulia in Movimento
No full textThis article presents an evaluation of the “Friuli Venezia Giulia in Movimento” project, aimed at promoting the culture of movement and well-being in a region which is particularly affected by population ageing. The goals of the project reside in promoting appropriate lifestyles through the endorsement of healthy behaviours (physical activity, healthy nutrition, well-being); increasing the number of physically active people in the various municipal territories, by enhancing or creating new pedestrian paths that reflect the 10,000-step goal; enhancing the local territory by promoting the existing paths and the initiatives already in place; promoting new paths and environments conducive to physical activity for people of all ages; encouraging the creation of new “walking groups” and the adhesion of people to them to promote physical activity and socialisation, with the consequent improvement of psychophysical well-being. Although the evaluation is still on-going, the preliminary results—obtained by means of two surveys and a multilevel model—show that the initial steps of the project have been carried out satisfactorily and that Municipalities still need to be supported in order to achieve good participation on part of the citizens
Occupazione e disoccupazione dopo il COVID-19: l'approfondimento del dualismo
No full textLa rilevazione delle forze di lavoro del marzo 2022 mette in evidenza un forte incremento del numero di occupati rispetto ad un anno prima (+804.000 unità, pari al +3,6%) ed il tasso di occupazione registra un valore del 65,5%. Simultaneamente, il tasso di disoccupazione scende all’8,3% (-1,8 punti percentuali rispetto ad un anno prima) ed anche il tasso di inattività diminuisce in maniera netta (34,5%, pari a -1,7 punti percentuali rispetto a marzo 2021). Sotto il profilo meramente quantitativo, la situazione del mercato del lavoro sembrerebbe aver recuperato pienamente i livelli antecedenti la crisi dovuta alla pandemia. Sotto il profilo qualitativo, al contrario, si registra un approfondimento degli elementi critici già presenti nel mercato del lavoro italiano: la “fine” della pandemia non è stata accompagnata da provvedimenti aventi l’obiettivo di correggere tali criticità
One year of COVID-19 in Italy: are containment policies enough to shape the pandemic pattern?
Full text linkA successful fight against COVID-19 greatly depends on citizens' adherence to the restrictive measures, which may not suffice alone. Making use of a containment index, data on sanctions, and Google's movement trends across Italian provinces, complemented by other sources, we investigate the extent to which compliance with the mobility limitations has affected the number of infections and deaths over time, for the period running from February 24, 2020 to February 23, 2021. We find proof of a deterrent effect on mobility given by the increase in sanction rate and positivity rate among the population. We also show how the pandemic dynamics have changed between the first and the second wave of the emergency. Lots of people could be spared by incorporating greater interventions and many more are at stake, despite the recent boost in vaccinations. Informing citizens about the effects and purposes of the restrictive measures has become increasingly important throughout the various phases of the pandemic
A Nonparametric Approach for Testing Long Memory in Stock Returns’ Higher Moments
Full text linkIn this paper, by considering a model-based approach for conditional moment estimation, a nonparametric test was performed to study the long-memory property of higher moments. We considered the daily returns of the stocks included in the S&P500 index in the last ten years (for the period running from the 1st of January 2011 to the 1st of January 2021). We found that mean and skewness were characterized by short memory, while variance and shape had long memory. These results have deep implications in terms of asset allocation, option pricing and market efficiency evaluation
Weight-Based Discrimination in the Italian Labor Market: an Analysis of the Interaction with Gender and Ethnicity
Full text linkAccess to the Italian job market is undermined by several kinds of discrimination influencing the opportunities for individuals to obtain a job. In this study, we analyze together the impact of three of the most relevant kinds of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market: gender, race, and weight. Our aim is to assess whether gender and race either increase or decrease the impact of weight-based discrimination. In this respect, we submit a set of fictitious résumés including photos of either obese or thin applicants in response to real online job offers. Our results indicate that the strongest kind of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market is the one connected to the candidate’s geographical origin. Moreover, we find discrimination based on body weight to be more relevant within immigrants than within natives, and gender gap appears to be higher within the obese candidates’ group compared to the normal-weight candidates’ one. This last result is particularly relevant, as the growing rates of obesity forecasted for the next years could in turn produce an increase in the gender gap, which in Italy is already massive
Values, concern, beliefs, and preference for solar energy: A comparative analysis of three European countries
No full textEnvironmental research has increasingly recognised the relevance of energy-efficiency behaviours to mitigate climate change. In this perspective, we exploit data from the European Social Survey round 8 (2016) to provide new insights into the main factors leading to the preference for solar power in three European countries – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A Structural Equation Model is adopted to assess the impact of self-transcendent values, efficacy beliefs and concern about energy security on such preference. Our outcomes suggest the key role of self-transcendent values in driving preference for solar energy in all the analysed countries. On the other hand, the impact of efficacy beliefs and concern on such preference shows interesting cross-country differences: beliefs are relevant in France and Germany, while concern provides more guidance for French and British citizens. The provided evidence may assist policymakers in increasing the adoption of green energy sources among citizens, sustainably enhancing economic growth
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