Fathers' participation in infant-care

Ordinary least squares multiple regression was used to model time spent in child-care by 107 fathers of infants, 3–10 months of age. Time in both physical and non-physical care activities was reported by fathers for a weekday. Number of years married, hours employed for pay the previous week, and fathers' stress score in the child domain were negatively related to time spent in infant-care.     

中国中部用水者协会对农户生产的影响

本文的研究旨在检验政府采取参与式灌溉管理(PIM)和用水者协会改革政策的效果。对湖北漳河灌区和东风灌区208户农户的问卷调查资料进行了统计分析和计量经济模型分析,研究结果表明用水者协会的成立对农户灌溉水资源供应和农业生产产生了积极影响。调查中有80%的农户肯定了用水者协会的作用,用水者协会调动了农户进行渠道维护和管理的积极性。用水者协会可以继续作为我国灌溉管理改革的一个方向和选择。     

CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF KENYAN (AFRICA) COLLEGE STUDENTS

The study was designed to measure the consumer knowledge and attitudes of college students enrolled at a representative Kenyan college. It was hypothesized that six variables (sex, academic level in college, academic major, rural or urban upbringing, having work experience and having completed a course in consumer education) would not be associated with achievement on the 47-item test or with the seven consumer attitude questions. The instrument was developed by the researcher for use in Kenya. Validity was checked by Kenyans as well as experts from the U.S. in test construction. Following a pre-test in Kenya, during the first week of classes in 1980, all students (n = 508) completed the instrument. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. Achievement was 31.3 (67.9%) on the consumer education test which was considered a moderate score. Having completed a consumer education course was one variable associated with higher scores on the test. Students majoring in Dairy and Food Science Technology as well as Home Economics did better than other majors on the test. In general, the students strongly supported attitudes expected of rational and responsible consumers.     

The Impact of Price Advertising: The California Eyewear Market After One Year

Recent judicial decisions and regulatory actions have reversed advertising restrictions enforced in the professions. This study examined the degree to which such regulatory reform has in its first year resulted in increased advertising competition among California eyewear practitioners. It also analyzed price differences between advertising and nonadvertising ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians. The study found that while relatively few practitioners engaged in advertising, those that did charged 17 percent less than nonadvertisers.     

A Socialization Perspective on Selected Consumer Characteristics of the Elderly

This study examines the effects of selected antecedent variables and communication processes on the consumer behavior of the elderly. The socialization perspective is suggested as a conceptual framework for the study of elderly consumer behavior, with specific theories used as bases for formulating hypotheses. The study results suggest that the mass media and the family may be instrumental in reinforcing or developing traditional sex-role stereotypes among the elderly, whereas consumer education may help them filter puffery in advertisements. Age, sex and health were also related to various aspects of consumer behavior.     

Distributional Effects of Liberalising UK Residential Utility Markets

Competition is being extended into residential utility markets world-wide; the European directives on telecoms, electricity and gas will extend choice throughout the European Union by the turn of the century. In the UK, the Privatisation Acts not only changed the ownership of utilities, but imposed a duty on the regulators to encourage competition. It is the introduction of competition, actual and potential, that has been the main force behind changing the relative prices charged to different consumers, particularly in the residential market. We use household-level data to identify the distributional impact, particularly on vulnerable households and those for whom regulators have special responsibilities. We find a mixed outcome, with some vulnerable households, especially pensioners, adversely affected: we suggest potential compensation mechanisms that could improve welfare by enabling the benefits of competition in these industries supplying essential services to be gained without harming the most vulnerable households. JEL classification: D40, 118.     

Can Housing Wealth Alleviate Poverty among Britain's Older Population?

This paper investigates the scope for housing wealth to alleviate poverty among Britain's older population by modelling the potential effect of equity-release schemes on the net incomes of older homeowners using data from the 1993–94 and 1994–95 Family Expenditure Surveys. We find that for the older population in general, the potential impact of equity release on poverty is limited by the positive association between homeownership and income in later life. The scope for equity release to enhance incomes is restricted mainly to the oldest age-groups where life expectancy is short. However, it is at these oldest ages that incomes are lowest and although we estimate that equity release cannot provide much benefit to those in the greatest poverty, the additions to income that equity release could bring to some of the oldest homeowners are not insignificant. JEL classification: D31, H55, 132, J14.