Congestión vehicular en Medellín: una posible solución desde la Economía

Según la teoría económica el mecanismo de precios es una herramienta adecuada para solucionar el problema de congestión vehicular. El objetivo de este artículo es diagnosticar el grado de congestión vehicular de la ciudad de Medellín (Colombia) y proponer alternativas que den solución a dicho problema desde la óptica de la teoría económica. A diferencia de otros estudios, esta investigación analizó la relación entre el gasto de las familias en transporte y la elección de transporte (público o privado) a través la metodología de elasticidades. Se encontró evidencia a favor de la hipótesis de los precios como mecanismos para desincentivar el uso del automóvil privado, pues a medida que aumenta el nivel de gasto en transporte (asociado a un supuesto peaje urbano), la probabilidad de usar transporte privado disminuye, mientras que la probabilidad de utilizar transporte público aumenta.

Unemployed, Now What? The Effect of Immigration on Unemployment Transitions of Native-born Workers in the United States

Although one would expect the unemployed to be the population most likely affected by immigration, most of the studies have concentrated on investigating the effects immigration has on the employed population. Little is known of the effects of immigration on labor market transitions out of unemployment. Using the basic monthly Current Population Survey from 2001 and 2013 we match data for individuals who were interviewed in two consecutive months and identify workers who transition out of unemployment. We employ a multinomial model to examine the effects of immigration on the transition out of unemployment, using state-level immigration statistics. The results suggest that immigration does not affect the probabilities of native-born workers finding a job. Instead, we find that immigration is associated with smaller probabilities of remaining unemployed, but it is also associated with higher probabilities of workers leaving the labor force. This effect impacts mostly young and less educated people.

Happiness and victimization in Latin America

In recent decades, studies on economics have identified happiness as a life quality indicator that not only accounts for individuals’ socioeconomic improvement but also accounts for their interactions with institutions and public goods, such as personal safety and protection of life. This study examines the determinants of individual happiness of Latin American citizens by focusing on whether the individual had been a victim of a crime in the last twelve months. To do this, a generalized ordered logit with partial constraints is used to analyze data obtained from the Americas Barometer Survey of 2014. The individual self- reported level of life satisfaction is used to study its relationship with having been a victim of a crime during the previous year. The results suggest the existence of a negative relationship between having been a victim of a crime in the past twelve months and being very satisfied with life.

Dinámica de los predictores de adopción de Internet en Medellín

En este trabajo se propone analizar la dinámica del impacto asociado a algunos predictores de la adopción de internet en la ciudad de Medellín (Colombia), utilizando como base de datos la Encuesta de calidad de vida de Medellín (ECV) desde el año 2006 a 2014 -- Se analizarán que variables inciden en la tenencia de internet, se realizará la estadística descriptiva necesaria, y regresiones mediante los modelos Logit y Probit -- El acceso a internet aún se encuentra reservado para una parte privilegiada de la población que cuenta con suficiente ingreso para tener servicio en casa y computador -- Se evidenció igualmente que en la ciudad no hay presencia de brecha de género contrario a lo encontrado en la literatura

Evidence of Discrimination Against Afrocolombians in the Colombian Labor Market in Major Cities in 2007

This paper evaluate the hypothesis that race is a determining factor in access to quality employment in Colombia during 2007 -- Using data from the Large Integrated Household Survey (2007-I), we estimate a generalized ordered logit model -- The results provide evidence that individuals self-identified as Afrocolombian have a higher probability of being in a low quality job than other Colombians -- This probability is higher by 1.9% in Cali, 3.4% in Bogotá, 12.6% in Barranquilla, 1.8% in Cartagena, 1.1% in Medellin and 3.8% overall in these five cities, results that could indicate that there is racial discrimination against Afrocolombians in the Colombian labor market