Households

December 29, 2015
everyday economics and the birth rate
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 29, 2015
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How a Soap Opera Affected Brazil’s Fertility Rate

During the past 40 years, Brazil's fertility rates declined. One cause was the new values that soap operas conveyed to an uneducated rural population.

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December 13, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 13, 2015
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What We Are Willing to Do For Money

Monetary incentives can influence a decision and distort the information we access for our cost and benefit research.

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December 8, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 8, 2015
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Where Toilets “Take a Village”

Shown by a project in rural India, building a sanitation network that includes toilets can eliminate open defecation and the disease it creates.

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December 7, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 7, 2015
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Debating the Size of the Social Safety Net

If Finland replaces benefits with a monthly check, the tradeoffs for its safety net programs will be domestic and international.

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November 30, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 30, 2015
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Marriage Markets in China and India

With son preference, limited fertility and social norms, China's and India's sex ratios at birth have created a male glut and new marriage markets.

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November 13, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 13, 2015
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The Problem With Bovine Burps

Reducing environmental externalities from greenhouse gas emissions involves the methane that cows and other ruminants burp.

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November 5, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 5, 2015
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Why It’s Tough to Place the Poverty Line

Whether calculating the poverty rate in Rwanda or in the U.S., the income and/or consumption variables you select determine your results.

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October 27, 2015
productivity questions
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 27, 2015
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Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Workers

One reason we have a labor force participation rate of 62.4 percent is because retirees, students, the disabled and people who care for family do not work.

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October 23, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 23, 2015
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Why Our Kids Will Not Care For Us When We Are Old

Because of aging populations in the developed world and in China, concern about care for the elderly and rising dependency ratios have increased.

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October 18, 2015
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 18, 2015
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Deciding If We Should Be More Like Denmark

While Denmark has universal healthcare, family benefits and pays for college, its social welfare system requires high taxes and other sacrifices.

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