Propuesta de estrategia para avanzar, desde la perspectiva de América Latina y el Caribe, hacia una convención internacional sobre los derechos humanos de las personas de edad

En la Declaración de Brasilia, aprobada en la segunda Conferencia regional intergubernamental sobre envejecimiento en América Latina y el Caribe: hacia una sociedad para todas las edades y de protección social basada en derechos en 2007, y ratificada por la CEPAL mediante la resolución 644(XXXII); de 2008, se insta a los gobiernos participantes a realizar esfuerzos encaminados a impulsar la elaboración de una convención internacional sobre los derechos de las personas de edad (artículo 24);. Se solicitaba asimismo la designación de un relator especial en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos encargado de velar por la promoción y protección de los derechos humanos de las personas de edad (artículo 25);.En el pasado bienio se celebraron tres reuniones de conformidad con ese compromiso. Las dos primeras tuvieron lugar, respectivamente, en Río de Janeiro (Brasil); (2008); y en Buenos Aires (Argentina); (2009);. En la tercera reunión, celebrada en Santiago (Chile); los días 5 y 6 de octubre de 2009, los países participantes solicitaron a la Secretaría de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL); que elaborara "una propuesta de estrategia sobre cómo avanzar en el seguimiento de los artículos 24 y 25 de la Declaración de Brasilia". La propuesta debería incluir "los contenidos mínimos que deberían estar presentes, desde la perspectiva de América Latina y el Caribe, en una convención internacional sobre los derechos de las personas de edad".En respuesta a esa solicitud, en este documento se presenta, en primer lugar, un panorama general sobre las normas existentes en materia de derechos humanos que están relacionadas con la promoción y protección de los derechos de las personas de edad, tanto a nivel internacional como regional. A continuación se señalan los argumentos que, desde la perspectiva de América Latina y el Caribe, justifican la aprobación de una convención internacional sobre los derechos de las personas de edad, así como los contenidos mínimos que esa convención debería incluir. Por último, se presenta una propuesta de estrategia para promover la aprobación.

Análisis comparativo de las implicaciones de la política macroeconómica: los choques externos y los sistemas de protección social en la pobreza y la desigualdad en siete países de América Latina

Incluye bibliografía

Social Welfare and Behavioral Public Policies

In this work I discuss several key aspects of welfare economics and policy analysis and I propose two original contributions to the growing field of behavioral public policymaking. After providing a historical perspective of welfare economics and an overview of policy analysis processes in the introductory chapter, in chapter 2 I discuss a debated issue of policymaking, the choice of the social welfare function. I contribute to this debate by proposing an original methodological contribution based on the analysis of the quantitative relationship among different social welfare functional forms commonly used by policy analysts. In chapter 3 I then discuss a behavioral policy to contrast indirect tax evasion based on the use of lotteries. I show that the predictions of my model based on non-expected utility are consistent with observed, and so far unexplained, empirical evidence of the policy success. Finally, in chapter 4 I investigate by mean of a laboratory experiment the effects of social influence on the individual likelihood to engage in altruistic punishment. I show that bystanders’ decision to engage in punishment is influenced by the punishment behavior of their peers and I suggest ways to enact behavioral policies that exploit this finding.

A review of economic analysis in the vaccination program; decision making and governance: Adivisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops written recommendations for the routine administration of vaccines to children and adults in the U.S. civilian population. The ACIP is the only entity in the federal government that makes such recommendations. ACIP elaborates on selection of its members and rules out concerns regarding its integrity, but fails to provide information about the importance of economic analysis in vaccine selection. ACIP recommendations can have large health and economic consequences. Emphasis on economic evaluation in health is a likely response to severe pressures of the federal and state health budget. This study describes the economic aspects considered by the ACIP while sanctioning a vaccine, and reviews the economic evaluations (our economic data) provided for vaccine deliberations. A five year study period from 2004 to 2009 is adopted. Publicly available data from ACIP web database is used. Drummond et al. (2005) checklist serves as a guide to assess the quality of economic evaluations presented. Drummond et al.'s checklist is a comprehensive hence it is unrealistic to expect every ACIP deliberation to meet all of their criteria. For practical purposes we have selected seven criteria that we judge to be significant criteria provided by Drummond et al. Twenty-four data points were obtained in a five year period. Our results show that out of the total twenty-four data point‘s (economic evaluations) only five data points received a score of six; that is six items on the list of seven were met. None of the data points received a perfect score of seven. Seven of the twenty-four data points received a score of five. A minimum of a two score was received by only one of the economic analyses. The type of economic evaluation along with the model criteria and ICER/QALY criteria met at 0.875 (87.5%). These three criteria were met at the highest rate among the seven criteria studied. Our study findings demonstrate that the perspective criteria met at 0.583 (58.3%) followed by source and sensitivity analysis criteria both tied at 0.541 (54.1%). The discount factor was met at 0.250 (25.0%).^ Economic analysis is not a novel concept to the ACIP. It has been practiced and presented at these meetings on a regular basis for more than five years. ACIP‘s stated goal is to utilize good quality epidemiologic, clinical and economic analyses to help policy makers choose among alternatives presented and thus achieve a better informed decision. As seen in our study the economic analyses over the years are inconsistent. The large variability coupled with lack of a standardized format may compromise the utility of the economic information for decision-making. While making recommendations, the ACIP takes into account all available information about a vaccine. Thus it is vital that standardized high quality economic information is provided at the ACIP meetings. Our study may provide a call for the ACIP to further investigate deficiencies within the system and thereby to improve economic evaluation data presented. ^

韓国のソーシャル・セーフティネット

アジア通貨危機後、韓国はIMFの構造調整を受け入れた。不況とマクロ緊縮政策があいまって、失業率が急激に上昇した。その対策として、政府はソーシャル・セーフティネットの整備に力を入れた。雇用保険の適用者拡大などの政策は、IMFのコンディショナリティに従ったものである。しかし、実際に実施された政策はIMFの勧告を超え、広く社会保障の整備につながるものであった。

Commercialization of agriculture in the Himalayas

Increased market integration and commercialization of traditional agriculture in the Himalayas is part of a development strategy towards growth and better standard of living. More than 97 percent households depend upon agricultural and allied activities for livelihood which constitutes 30 percent of the household income. Given the importance of commercialization of agriculture to improve the productivity, per capita income and thereby the standard of living in the Himalayas, we examine the factors affecting the commercialization of agriculture on the basis of primary survey data. The results reveal that the land size, gender of the household head, livestock assets, ethnicity, education and location are important determinants of commercialization. Although commercialization of agriculture is considered as stimulated private-sector activity, public policy is essential to facilitate driving forces viz., trade and market reforms, rural infrastructure, and the institutional framework for legal and contractual arrangements between farmers and processors.

Effects of geographic cost of living adjustments on welfare benefits /

Mode of access: Internet.

General exercises ... June, 1893. Together with list of officers, and members, programme and rules.

Half-title (not included in pagination) : Report of the proceedings ... I. General exercises, etc. II. The public treatment of pauperism.

Labor supply and social welfare benefits in the United States /

August 1978.

Economics and health promotion

Health promotion activities consume a growing proportion of health sector spending in most developed countries. Yet, there is still considerable debate in the non-economic literature about exactly what health promotion constitutes and precisely how its role is to be conceived. This paper provides one economic answer to such questions. It sets out an argument that health promotion may be viewed, through the lens of traditional welfare economics, as a response to problems of market failure. A Grossman-type health investment model is invoked to analyse individual deviations from equilibrium and the possible instruments and targets of health promotion policy. The paper concludes by suggesting some of the alternative conceptual approaches that might be brought to bear, as well as some ideas for empirical research.

Why many eligible individuals choose not to go on welfare

This article investigates why many eligible for welfare do not participate. We show that on-the-job wage-rising potential is the key factor motivating nonparticipation. Although individuals with very low earnings and little wage-rising potential are typically welfare recipients, those with good wage-rising potential may choose to work, participate in old age, or never participate. Nonparticipation remains the best choice for eligible individuals with large wage-rising potential even if universal old-age social security is available. We will also apply this model to a comprehensive welfare system in Hong Kong.

Teaching economic philosophy: Economics, ethics and the search for the right maximand

Economic philosophy is not often taught, and is not necessarily easily taught. It involves enquiry into implicit assumptions within orthodox economics and within alternatives to it. It seeks to highlight why it is that some critics object that neoclassical economics is too atomistic, hedonistic, and rationalistic, or why others lament that there is much hidden metaphysics in Friedman and his Chicago School colleagues. It addresses the issue of whether - in a reversal of the view that economics is the imperialistic social science - significant philosophical assumptions have been silently but inescapably imported into orthodox economics. This paper seeks to facilitate the presentation of such material with illustrations selected from social economics, development economics, and critiques of utilitarianism.

Az egyéni munkaerő-piaci aktivitás becslése a MIDAS_HU mikroszimulációs nyugdíjmodellben

A nyugdíj- és egyéb állami ellátórendszerek működésének elemzése területén a hagyományos makromodellek mellett Európában egyre inkább előtérbe kerülnek a sztochasztikus-dinamikus mikroszimulációs módszerek, melyek a makrogazdasági aggregátumok várható értékének időbeli előrejelzése mellett azok eloszlásának pontosabb vizsgálatát is lehetővé teszik, így eszközül szolgálhatnak a nyugdíjrendszert érintő politikai és nyugdíjszakmai döntések hosszú távú társadalmi-gazdasági hatásainak valósághűbb elemzésére. Segítségükkel vizsgálhatóvá válik pl. a különböző szocio-ökonómiai csoportok anyagi státuszának várható időbeli változása, az időskori szegénység várható alakulása stb. Az Európában alkalmazott dinamikus nyugdíj-mikroszimulációs módszerek között az egyik legfejlettebb a belga Federal Planning Bureau intézményben Gijs Dekkers és munkatársai által fejlesztett MIDAS_BE mikroszimulációs modell és az annak támogatására szolgáló LIAM2 mikroszimulációs szoftverkörnyezet. Magyarországon az állami nyugdíjrendszer működéséért felelős Országos Nyugdíjbiztosítási Főigazgatóság folyamatosan fejleszti a MIDAS mikroszimulációs rendszer magyar körülményekre adaptált változatát, a MIDAS_HU modellt, melynek előkészítésében jelen cikk szerzője is részt vett. Jelen tanulmány a magyarországi munkaerő-piaci aktivitás becslésével foglalkozik, mely a MIDAS modellek munkaerő-piaci moduljának meghatározó eleme. Az elemzés során többváltozós statisztikai technikákat (imputálás, szegmentálás, regresszió) alkalmaztunk egy óriási méretű, adminisztratív adatokat tartalmazó adatfájlon. A felhasznált adatfájl több mint négy évtized demográfiai, foglalkoztatottsági és járulékfizetési adatait tartalmazza egyénenkénti bontásban. Bár a becslést a MIDAS modellek logikájának megfelelően keresztmetszeti szemléletben hajtottuk végre, az egyenletekbe az eredeti belga modelltől eltérően hosszmetszeti adatokból nyert információkat is beépítettünk. Ezt egyrészt a rendelkezésünkre álló, jóval hosszabb idősorok információtartalmának optimális felhasználása, másrészt a hazai munkaerő-piacon – elsősorban az 1990-es évek elején –lezajlott jelentős strukturális átalakulások indokolták.