Family decision-making for educational expenditure: new evidence from survey data for Nigeria

This study examines the determinants of educational expenditures by households in Nigeria. Data from the Nigerian General Household Survey, Panel 2012/2013, Wave 2 was used and a double-hurdle model was employed for the analysis. The results suggest household income, the age, education, gender of the household heads and urban versus rural residence have a significant impact on the decision to spend on education. Such expenditures are income elastic overall, but are very different in magnitude for low income compared to higher income families. It is found that the income elasticity of education expenditures are approximately four times greater for households in the bottom two-thirds of the income distribution than for those on the top one-third of the income distribution.     

Survey Under‐Coverage of Top Incomes and Estimation of Inequality: What is the Role of the UK's SPI Adjustment?

Survey under‐coverage of top incomes leads to bias in survey‐based estimates of overall income inequality. Using income tax record data in combination with survey data is a potential approach to address the problem; we consider here the UK's pioneering ‘SPI adjustment’ method that implements this idea. Since 1992, the principal income distribution series (reported annually in Households Below Average Income) has been based on household survey data in which the incomes of a small number of ‘very rich’ individuals are adjusted using information from ‘very rich’ individuals in personal income tax return data. We explain what the procedure involves, reveal the extent to which it addresses survey under‐coverage of top incomes and show how it affects estimates of overall income inequality. More generally, we assess whether the SPI adjustment is fit for purpose and consider whether variants of it could be employed by other countries.     

Does auditor tenure influence the reporting of conservative earnings?

In this study, we examine the relation between auditor tenure and the reporting of conservative earnings. Using several measures of conservatism, we document a positive association between the conservatism in reported earnings and the length of the auditor–client relationship. We further document an increase in conservatism between short and medium tenure that does not deteriorate over long tenure. Collectively, the results imply lower conservatism for short auditor tenure, which suggests that mandating auditor rotation may have an adverse affect on the conservatism in reported earnings.     

The Flexible–Rigid Paradox of Employment Relations at Royal Mail (UK)

This article examines how flexibility and rigidity equally pose a dilemma for management and trade unions. It explores the issue by examining a range of features within the employment relationship at the Royal Mail in the UK. It seeks to demonstrate how, in practice, both management and trade unions can require, pursue and argue for different and competing combinations of flexibility and rigidity. It concludes that it is analytically more useful to examine the content and form of the 'flexible–rigid mix' and explore how this is mediated by political, social and operational/technical processes.     

Cities, Borders, Distances, Non-Traded Goods and Purchasing Power Parity

Most empirical studies for the post Bretton-Woods period fail to find evidence of a long-run Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) relationship. An investigation into the failure of PPP is made in this study by using disaggregated price data. This disaggregation is on two levels: location (prices from US and Canadian cities rather than national aggregates) and type of goods (e.g., fuel oil, a tradable commodity and local public transportation, a non-tradable). This disaggregation allows for the testing of the importance of borders (implying an exchange rate), distances, and types of goods in the failure of PPP. The analysis conducted suggests that both country borders and distances play a significant role. However, there is mixed evidence concerning type of goods as an important determinant of the failure of PPP.     

The Relationship between Unemployment Benefits and Re‐employment Probabilities: Evidence from Spain*

We provide the first Spanish evidence about the effects on re‐employment probabilities of variations in benefit levels and time‐to‐exhaustion. Increases in unemployment insurance (UI) benefit levels had a small disincentive effect on the re‐employment hazard on average. Around this average, there were larger disincentive effects for men with elapsed durations between 4 and 18 months, whereas for men unemployed longer than 18 months, or for men resident in the south, the effect was negligible. Re‐employment hazards increased when UI exhaustion was imminent, but the change was small. Extensions to unemployment assistance eligibility in 1989 for men aged 45+ years lowered re‐employment probabilities.     

Reciprocity in trade relations between South Africa and Europe

This article sets out the arguments, from South Africa's perspective, for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Europe. It argues against signing the Lome Convention. These arguments have more force if the right kind of FTA can be negotiated, because the greater the benefit South Africa derives from such an agreement, the more the credibility of domestic economic policies will be enhanced. Some requirements for the ‘right’ type of FTA are discussed.     

Long-term Nexus Between Openness,Income, and Environmental Quality

In this paper we examine the dynamic relationship between income, trade, and environmental quality as measured by carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, disaggregated by source (oil, gas, and coal). Using time series data spanning from 1980 to 2006, 21 countries, including G7, BRIC, and middle and low income economies, we consistently find the existence of a long-run relationship between income, trade, and carbon emissions (from oil in particular). This is important because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently determined that CO₂ emissions indeed pose a threat to human health and welfare.