How universal is behavior? A four country comparison of spite, cooperation and errors in voluntary contribution mechanisms

This paper studies behavior in experiments with a linear voluntary contributions mechanism for public goods conducted in Japan, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA. The same experimental design was used in the four countries. Our 'contribution function' design allows us to obtain a view of subjects' behavior from two complementary points of view. If yields information about situations where, in purely pecuniary terms, it is a dominant strategy to contribute all the endowment and about situations where it is a dominant strategy to contribute nothing. Our results show, first, that differences in behavior across countries are minor. We find that when people play "the same game" they behave similarly. Second, for all four countries our data are inconsistent with the explanation that subjects contribute only out of confusion. A common cooperative motivation is needed to explain the date.

Income taxation with habit formation and consumption externalities

We analyze the dynamic behavior and the welfare properties of the equilibrium path of a growth model where both habits and consumption externalities affect the utility of consumers. We discuss the effects of flat rate income taxes and characterize the optimal income taxation policy. We show that, when consumption externalities and habit adjusted consumption are not perfect substitutes, a counter-cyclical income tax rate allows the competitive equilibrium to replicate the efficient path. Our analysis highlights the crucial role played by complementarities between externalities and habits in order to generate an inefficient dynamic equilibrium.

Contribution to the normal fecal flora of the hamster: Proteus mirabilis in normal feces of hamster

Proteus mirabilis must be considered a normal inhabitant of the intestine of hamsters. It is also found in the vaginal secretion of females of this animal, when in oestrus.

Recent trends in Spanish income distribution: a robust picture of falling income inequality

Income distribution in Spain has experienced a substantial improvement towards equalisation during the second half of the seventies and the eighties; a period during which most OECD countries experienced the opposite trend. In spite of the many recent papers on the Spanish income distribution, the period covered by those stops in 1990. The aim of this paper is to extent the analysis to 1996 employing the same methodology and the same data set (ECPF). Our results not only corroborate the (decreasing inequality) trend found by others during the second half of the eighties, but also suggest that this trend extends over the first half of the nineties. We also show that our main conclusions are robust to changes in the equivalence scale, to changes in the definition of income and to potential data contamination. Finally, we analyse some of the causes which may be driving the overall picture of income inequality using two decomposition techniques. From this analyses three variables emerge as the major responsible factors for the observed improvement in the income distribution: education, household composition and socioeconomic situation of the household head.

Factor decomposition of spatial income inequality: a revision

Duro and Esteban (1998) proposed an additive decomposition of Theil populationweighted index by four income multiplicative factors (in spatial contexts). This note makes some additional methodological points: first, it argues that interaction effects are taken into account in the factoral indexes although only in a fairly restrictive way. As a consequence, we suggest to rewrite the decomposition formula as a sum of strict Theil indexes plus the interactive terms; second, it might be instructive to aggregate some of the initial factors; third, this decomposition can be immediately extended to the between- and within-group components.

Subjective income expectations, canonical models and income risk

Expectations are central to behaviour. Despite the existence of subjective expectations data, the standard approach is to ignore these, to hypothecate a model of behaviour and to infer expectations from realisations. In the context of income models, we reveal the informational gain obtained from using both a canonical model and subjective expectations data. We propose a test for this informational gain, and illustrate our approach with an application to the problem of measuring income risk.

Contribution à l'étude des infusoires parasites du coecum de l'hydrocheire (Hydrocheirus capybara L.): I. La famille des cycloposthiidae

Os autores referem inicialmente que os ciliados da capivara (Hydrochoerus capibara L.) são conhecidos pelos estudos de MARQUES DA CUNHA & MUNIZ bem como de FLÁVIO DA FONSECA. Fazem o estudo em material recentemente colhido em viagem ao Brasil e agradecem às pessoas que facilitaram êstes estudos. Dizem das técnicas usadas na coleta e estudo do material. Trabalhando o material colecionado em uma capivara sacrificada em Ribeirão Prêto estudam os representantes da família Cycloposthidae. Dividem as espécies do gênero Cycloposthium em três secções: a primeira com C. hydrochoeri Cunha, 1915; a segunda com C. minutum Cunha & Muniz, 1927; C. lenticularis sp. n. e C. elongatum sp. n.; a terceira com C. caudatum Cunha & Muniz, 1927 e C. compressum Cunha 1915 incluidas em novo subgênero: Diplolophus. Estudam pormenorisadamente C. hydrochoeri fazendo numerosas observações da morfologia em exemplares de preparação total, bem como em cortes. Na segunda secção dão a diagnose das 3 espécies nela incluídas, das quais duas novas para a ciência: C. lenticularis, com corpo quase tão largo como longo, 40 a 60 μ de comprimento por 40 a 45 μ de largura e processos caudais muito curtos ora acuminados ora arredondados. C. elongatum, de tamanho relativamente grande, medindo de comprimetno 160 a 200 μ por 60 a 90 μ de largura. Para a terceira secção estabelecem um novo subgênero - Diplolophus - com D.(D.) compressum e D.(D.) caudatum. O subgênero é caracterisado, principalmente, por serem os cirros adorais distribuídos em duas espirais: uma interna e outra mais externa. Finalisando o trabalho fazem comentários sôbre os componentes da família Cycloposthidae.

A contribution to the knowledge of the Brazilian Strepsiptera: (Insecta)

Neste trabalho procuramos atualizar e acrescentar observações novas ao conhecimento dos Strepsiptera do Brasil. Descrevemos 4 espécies novas da família Myrmecolacidae, representados apenas por machos e uma espécie nova da família Halictophagidae, representada por macho, fêmea e hospedador. Registramos a ocorrência, no Brasil, de uma espécie da família Stylopidae, conhecida anteriormente da Argentina e fornecemos dados adicionais sôbre uma espécie da família Mengeidae, Triozocera paulistana Kogan, 1958. Baseados em HOFENEDER & FULMEK (1942-43) damos a lista dos hospedadores encontrados estilopizados no Brasil.

Regional income inequalities in Europe: an updated measurement and some decomposition results

In this paper well-known summary inequality indexes are used to explore interregional income inequalities in Europe. In particular, we mainly employ Theils’population-weighted index because of its appealing properties. Two decomposition analysis are applied. First, regional inequalities are decomposed by regional subgroups (countries). Second, intertemporal inequality changes are separated into income and population changes. The main results can be summarized as follows. First, data confirm a reduction in crossregional inequality during 1982-97. Second, this reduction is basically due to real convergence among countries. Third, currently the greater part of European interregional disparities is within-country by nature, which introduce an important challenge for the European policy. Fourth, inequality changes are due mainly to income variations, population changes playing a minor role.

Inequality in CO2 emissions across countries and its relationship with income inequality: a distributive approach

This paper analyses the inequality in CO2 emissions across countries (and groups of countries) and the relationship of this inequality with income inequality across countries for the period (1971-1999). The research employs the tools that are usually applied in income distribution analysis. The methodology used here gives qualitative and quantitative information on some of the features of the inequalities across countries that are considered most relevant for the design and discussion of policies aimed at mitigating climate change. The paper studies the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP and shows that income inequality across countries has been followed by an important inequality in the distribution of emissions. This inequality has diminished mildly, although the inequality in emissions across countries ordered in the increasing value of income (inequality between rich and poor countries) has diminished less than the “simple” inequality in emissions. Lastly, the paper shows that the inequality in CO2 emissions is mostly explained by the inequality between groups with different per capita income level. The importance of the inequality within groups of similar per capita income is much lower and has diminished during the period, especially in the low-middle income group.

An input-output analysis of the "key" sectors in CO2 emissions from a production perspective: an application to the spanish economy

Here we present an approach that allows the identification of the "key" productive sectors responsible for CO2 emission. For this purpose, we develop an input–output methodology from a supply perspective. We focus on the impact of an increase in the value-added of the different productive sectors on total CO2 emissions and we identify the productive sectors responsible for the increase in CO2 emissions when there is an increase in the income of the economy. The approach shows the contribution of the various sectors to CO2 emission from a production perspective and allows us to identify the sectors that deserve more consideration for mitigation policies. This analysis is complementary to the input–output analysis from a demand perspective. The methodology is applied to the Spanish economy.