Health and economic growth in high-income countries revisited: evidence from an augmented production function for the period 1980–2009

This paper uses time series data for seven industrialized countries from 1980–2009 to explore the causality between health care expenditure (HCE) and economic growth. We have set up a classical Cobb–Douglas production function including HCE, labor, capital, and an augmented function additionally including the number of patent applications (as a proxy for technology and research) and the total number of tertiary education students (as a proxy for education). Our results show that there is a long-run relationship between growth and HCE. As regards causality, in the classical production function, evidence for mutual causality between GDP and HCE is noted only in France, Germany and England, causality from HCE to GDP is noted in Italy and Japan, while no causality whatsoever is evidenced in Canada and USA. However, a completely different situation is unveiled when the augmented production function is used with mutual causality being noted in all perused variables. The novelty of our study lies first in that it contributes to the health-growth nexus literature for high-income countries which has been quite controversial and second it sets off new variables whose omission might be one of the reasons of the result dichotomy. Results of this study will be very useful for high-income countries currently afflicted by the economic crisis and embark on HCE curtailments or revisions.     

Wage Inequality and Returns to Education in Turkey: A Quantile Regression Analysis

This paper investigates the male wage inequality and its evolution over the 1994–2002 period in Turkey by estimating Mincerian wage equations using ordinary least squares and quantile regression techniques. Male wage inequality is high in Turkey. While it declined at the lower end of the wage distribution it increased at the top end of wage distribution. Education contributed to higher wage inequality through both within and between dimensions. The within‐groups inequality increased and between‐groups inequality decreased over the study period. The latter factor may have dominated the former contributing to the observed decline in the male wage inequality over the 1994–2002. Further results are provided for the wage effects of experience, public sector employment, geographic location, firm size, industry of employment and their contribution to wage inequality. Recent increases in foreign direct investiment inflows, openness to trade and global technological developments are discussed as contributing factors to the recent rising within‐groups wage inequality.     

Health and Financial Strain: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances

Using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances, this study examines the relationship between health status and financial strain controlling for the dual endogeneity between the two factors. Simultaneous two-stage probit models are estimated for self-reported health status and three measures of financial strain. The results from all three models indicate that poor health significantly increases the probability of financial strain. There is little evidence that financial strain contributes to poor health. The findings suggest that severe health conditions may result in larger financial burdens while large financial burdens are unlikely to accelerate a decline in health status. In the end, health may be contributing to widening financial disparities, especially among the poor who are in poor health.     

OUTPUT–EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP ACROSS SECTORS: A LONG‐ VERSUS SHORT‐RUN PERSPECTIVE

This paper investigates the nature of the output–employment relationship by using the Turkish quarterly data for the period 1988–2008. Even if we fail to find a long‐run relationship between aggregate output and total employment, there are long‐run relationships for the aggregate output with non‐agricultural employment and sectoral employment levels for seven of nine sectors that we consider. However, a further investigation for the output and employment relationship within a short‐run perspective does not reveal statistically significant relationships for either total employment or non‐agriculture employment, or eight of the nine sectors that we consider. Although there are various long‐run relationships between output and employment, the short‐run links between demand and employment are weak. The various implications of this for the economy and the labour market are discussed. As a result, maintaining high levels of output in the long‐run creating demand is essential for employment generation.     

A Multistage Model of Loans and the Role of Relationships

We develop a multistage model of the loan granting process to understand the contradictory findings of the existing literature on bank‐borrower relationships, credit availability, and loan rates. Upon estimating our model with the 1993, 1998, and 2003 versions of the Survey of Small Business Finances data set, we find that relationships matter in a borrower's decision whether to apply for a loan and in the loan approval/rejection decision by the financial institution. However, the effect of relationships on loan rates depends on the prevailing economic climate. While firms with preexisting relationships obtain credit at lower rates during periods of economic expansion, loan rates are not negatively correlated with preexisting relationships during periods of economic recession.     

Output–employment relationship across employment status: evidence from Turkey

This paper investigates output–employment relationships across different employment statuses and formal versus informal employment divisions for Turkey. Even if we fail to find a long-run relationship between aggregate output and total employment, there are long-run relationships between the aggregate output with all of the formal employment statuses. A further investigation for short-run relationships reveals no statistically significant relationships between aggregate output and total employment and between aggregate output and casual employment but there is a significant short-run relationship between aggregate output and total regular employment. Thus, a sustainable economic growth policy should aim to create formal and regular employment.     

Transitions across labor market states including formal/informal division in Egypt

This study examines the worker transitions across labor market states including formal/informal division using panel data of 2006 to 2012 from Egypt. We generate a broad set of facts about labor market dynamics in Egypt. We first develop transition probabilities by gender across different labor market states including formal/informal sectors utilizing Markov transition processes. Government employment is the most persistent labor market state for both men and women and the out of labor force is the second most persistent labor market state for women. Unemployment is the most mobile labor market state. Informal private wage work and self‐employed–agriculture are also relatively mobile labor market states. We next identify the effects of individual, household and job characteristics on different mobility patterns by estimating multinomial logit models. We find that gender, age, education, experience, and several sectors of economic activity are associated with the transition probabilities between the labor market states considered such as formal wage, informal wage, self‐employment, unemployment, government employment, and out of labor market. Education, in particular, university degree or above is noted to play a vital role in the probability of transitions across several labor market states.     

Unemployment and labour force participation in Turkey

This article investigates the relationship between labour force participation rate and unemployment rate in Turkey a developing country. Cointegration analysis is carried out for the aggregate and gender-specific series. The findings indicate that there is no long-run relationship between labour force participation and unemployment rates in Turkey. Thus, unlike in the case of the developed countries, the unemployment invariance hypothesis is supported in Turkey.     

Professional financial advice,self‐control and saving behavior

This study investigates whether professional financial advice (“PFA”) can assist households in making better‐informed financial decisions and whether PFA may help households achieve better self‐control in implementing financial plans. In particular, we examine the effects of PFA and self‐control ability on saving behavior, as well as the interaction of PFA and self‐control on saving behavior. We extend the dual‐self model of impulse control and derive three hypotheses: (a) people with higher levels of self‐control save more than those with lower levels of self‐control; (b) PFA has a positive effect on saving behavior; and (c) people with lower levels of self‐control benefit more from obtaining PFA than those with higher levels of self‐control. We use a German household panel dataset SAVE, which was collected annually from 2005 to 2009. Respondents are asked whether they have discussed financial matters with financial advisors in banks, insurance companies or financial service providers. Using a number of behavioral proxies of self‐control, we create an aggregate measure of self‐control through factor analysis. We estimate a fixed‐effects model to identify the effects of PFA and self‐control on financial assets. Empirical results show that both PFA and self‐control have a significant positive relationship with financial assets. The interaction term of PFA and self‐control is a significant predictor of financial assets. We discuss conclusions for the financial advising industry and public policy aimed at consumer financial literacy.